Come Full Circle
by knuckz
Summary: They knew that Uzumaki Naruto was destined for greatness, but this was getting ridiculous. When Naruto takes the Yondaime's fuuinjutsu to unimaginable levels. Formerly known as 'Furuenjin'. Indefinite hiatus.
1. 00: The Basis

Come Full Circle  
by: knuckz

* * *

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be writing disclaimers about my not owning Naruto.

* * *

Summary: Ninjas use taijutsu to beat their opponents down, genjutsu to disillusion them, ninjutsu to destroy them or heal them, and weaponry for quick kills. Some specialize in specific areas, and exceed in that talent, while others keep a general base in all aspects. As such, there are general ninja's and nin-, tai-, and genjutsu masters respectively. This was before Uzumaki Naruto became a ninja. For the first time, there will be a fuuinjutsu specialist.

* * *

"blah" – talking

'blah' – thinking

* * *

Chapter 00 – The Basis – Commencing

* * *

Safely tucked away in the comfort of their beds, the majority of Konoha's population had no knowledge of the events taking place so late at night. For those still awake, all that could be seen was the mysterious fog that was looming about, obstructing the sights of all. A silence had descended upon the sleepy village, allowing the sounds of the patter of running feet, clanging noises of metal upon metal, and the whistling of whirling shuriken to be more pronounced.

It was then that a body fell from the sky, hitting the ground with a satisfying thud. The man's body refused to move despite his mind desperately willing it to do so, and he lay helplessly as Death claimed its next victim.

"Rat, collect the body while we pursue. Everyone else, _stay with me_!" bit out the purple-haired female ANBU, apparently the captain of the squad. The ANBU codenamed Rat broke formation and jumped to the street, only to receive a kunai to the throat.

"Shit!"

The female ANBU jumped at the man with full speed and slashed vertically with her sword, intending to slice the man's body in half. She tensed halfway through her attack however, expecting a counter because the man was calmly awaiting her attack. However, no such thing happened, because her sword went straight through the man, whose body dissipated as she went through it.

Bunshin no jutsu. E-grade ninjutsu. Creates an after-image with no physical attributes. Also the ninjutsu needed to pass the dismal genin examination at the Shinobi Academy. With sufficient practice and chakra, even a civilian might be able to do it.

'What the _fuck?_'

A bunshin barely existed. A bunshin couldn't even fool most _genin_. A bunshin couldn't _fucking_ shove a kunai into your comrade's throat!

'As impossible as it is, it seems that he switched with a bunshin, using the Kawarimi no Jutsu. But, it shouldn't be possible to use the Kawarimi with a non-solid object. Rat…'

The ANBU captain crouched near her comrade, codenamed Rat. He was already dead. After whispering a silent prayer, she stood tall once more.

They would have to approach the man with utmost caution. Hokage-sama had informed her that the man was only of genin class; but that his abilities were easily of the jounin level he did not inform her. Jounin or not, she would still have to kill him, and retrieve the Forbidden Scroll he had stolen.

Another ANBU team was up ahead at the village entrance, in hopes of catching the man off guard. She, and what remained of her team, would have to be quick in order to execute the pincer tactic to trap the man.

"Let's go."

* * *

The man being chased, whose name was currently Gensei, abruptly turned the corner. Counting two seconds, he threw a shuriken behind him at approximately 10 degrees above his line of sight. The lead chuunin giving chase unfortunately turned the corner right into the shuriken, which intently lodged into his brain, cutting off all functions of life. The nameless chuunin fell to the ground, dead. Gensei smirked.

'Poor bastard…'

The other chuunin followed, all with the purpose of avenging their friend. All four of these chuunin would die.

Gensei was on a veering path to out of the village. He had to first go to his established safe-house, where he would meet his accomplice. From there, the two would be able to find a safe exit out of the village.

'Well, Naruto-kun, I guess I'll be able to give you one last lesson.' Gensei thought wryly. He picked up his speed and ran in the darkness of the night, to where one Uzumaki Naruto resided.

* * *

Naruto looked at Gensei, taking in his bloody clothes and cuts that he received from kunai and shuriken thrown at him. With him, the gray-haired man carried a large scroll. So large, in fact, that it was bigger than Naruto.

Gensei, a Konoha shinobi, had volunteered to take care of Naruto a little while ago. Naruto did not fully understand why this man didn't seem to hate him, but still recognized that the man had no intentions of harming him, or so it seemed. The current Hokage was one of the few people in the village that didn't bear a grudge against the young blond, so this man most likely just wanted to get the Hokage's favor. Naruto didn't care about his reasons, and simply thanked the Gensei's actions, not his motives. He had proved trustworthy for now, and Naruto was thankful for that.

When the Hokage introduced Gensei to him three months prior, Naruto had been immediately suspicious. It wasn't exactly hard to kill a seven year-old and make it look like an accident, especially for a shinobi. Naruto kept his guard up at all times around the man at first.

However, Gensei made no such attempts. He acted quite kindly toward Naruto, treating him with a certain amount of respect that the blond had come to enjoy. He even took to teaching him things that he would learn at the Shinobi Academy and beyond: basics such as chakra molding, and hand seals; more advanced things such as anatomy, and torture methods. Slowly but surely, this caused Naruto to drop his guard, no longer doubting the man's intentions, only his motives. He eagerly listened to the lessons, learning techniques such as bunshin no jutsu, kawarimi no jutsu, and henge no jutsu all before the age of seven. He could probably graduate the academy at that point, but Gensei said there was no point in entering him.

Recently, Gensei had decided to start teaching Naruto a rather uncommon shinobi art called Fuuinjutsu. Fuuinjutsu was used mostly to seal items into scrolls to ease travel these days, but Gensei, who seemed quite knowledgeable on the subject, had explained to him that fuuinjutsu was much more than that. Through the use of different symbols drawn in different mediums, fuuinjutsu could control, channel and manipulate chakra. With infinite possibilities of different seal arrangements, a well-prepared fuuinjutsu specialist could very well be the most dangerous ninja to come across in battle.

Most ninja decided against using fuuinjutsu in battle because of the immense preparation and precision needed to execute the complex art. Even for masters of the art, it could take too long in determining how to accomplish a specific task. Even with the advanced preparations complete, the actual inscription of the seals took time as well. Either a lull in the battle or advance preparation was needed to effectively use them. Once the initial plan has finished, the specialist would be open to enemy attacks until they could make more seals. Though it was said all too much, in a battle between shinobi, one second could mean the difference between life and death. It was much quicker to kill an enemy with a kunai or with a ninjutsu than it was write out an intricate seal and use it to kill an enemy, and most ninja took the easy way out.

However, the idea of controlling chakra fascinated Naruto immensely. His creative and keen seven-year-old mind went over all sorts of possibilities involving fuuinjutsu that he thought no other shinobi had ever thought of. It was for this reason that, Naruto had convinced Gensei to teach him whatever he could about fuuinjutsu. Normally, the old man would just teach whatever he decided was appropriate, and Naruto had listened, enraptured.

"Well, kid, this'll probably be the last time you'll see me." Gensei said, chuckling lightly. Naruto was not surprised.

"What do you mean, Gensei-san?" Naruto said, sounding surprised. Gensei observed him, as if sizing him up.

"You're a good student, Naruto-kun. But, unfortunately, if I stay too long in Konoha, I'll get killed." said Gensei.

'Ahh,' thought Naruto, 'I see.'

"Killed? Why would you be killed? Konoha doesn't kill its own shinobi!"

Gensei eyed Naruto for a moment, still feeling slightly awed at the insight that the blond showed. The boy was young and still prone to mistakes like any child his age, but he was the type to not make the same mistake twice. The blond's curiousity spoke of a trained mind, and even now it showed.

Naruto had obviously figured out that Gensei was not from around Konoha.

It was remarkably easy for him to sneak into Konoha and pose as a genin. As a jounin level ninja, sneaking into the village as a civilian was an easy feat. Once there, he only had to steal the identity of a look alike. He had found an older generation genin, and secretly watched him, learning of his habits and friends and the like. When the time was right, he struck, killing the unknowing fool, and becoming Gensei. He spent a lot of time around the Hokage, trying to get into his good graces to gather information. By befriending Naruto, he had gained the Hokage's trust and discovered the location of the scroll. He almost felt bad for betraying the old man, but it had to be done for his village, and for his revenge.

Gensei came from a small shinobi village, one of many that had almost been destroyed by Konoha during the Second Great Ninja War. By the end of the war, only a shadow of the former village remained. Faced with poverty and sickness, the village's very existence seemed threatened. To save the village, he sought the most valuable ninja artifact in the village, the forbidden scroll. With the scroll, he could learn the techniques and become a better ninja to protect his village and earn money, but unlike some of the other artifacts in the village, when he finished learning the techniques he could sell the scroll to another village for quite a lot of money.

"Spill it, kid. How did you know I wasn't a Konoha nin?" he questioned.

Naruto regarded him seriously for the first time.

"Konoha doesn't try to kill it's ninja for no reason."

Gensei chuckled once again.

'Friggin' kid is good. I can't wait to see what he'll grow to be.'

"Well, I have about an hour or two at most, so I think I'll let you go over this scroll once. Let's see… _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_. Want to learn, boy?" Gensei said.

Naruto had no qualms about learning from an enemy.

'Kage Bunshin, an advanced version of the Bunshin no Jutsu, where the user creates actual bodies instead of after-images. It's only a high level technique because it can waste so much of the user's chakra. It should be perfect for him, especially with his shit-load of chakra.'

Naruto looked over what would be one of his favorite techniques.

Fifteen minutes later, four other Naruto's stood with him, each indistinguishable from the original. Gensei looked on impassively.

"I wanted to learn some fuuinjutsu." all five Naruto's spoke in unison.

Gensei just stared.

* * *

The ANBU captain saw a chuunin on the ground. Dead. At least, in death, the chuunin told her an important story. Gensei had come this way. The ANBU team at the border reported that the nin had not come that way. That meant he took a detour. She signaled to her two remaining ANBU underlings.

'I _will_ kill you.' was her thought.

And the three-man ANBU team followed the trail of blood of their comrades, left behind by the vicious enemy nin.

* * *

"All I had for the next few weeks are in these scrolls. I prepared them beforehand to give to you, but I never got the chance." Gensei said. Naruto did not repeat what he said. Why did humans need to repeat what others say to ascertain truth?

"I see. Thanks."

He meant it.

"Naruto-kun, why don't you come with me? There is still a lot I can teach you. It's not like anyone in this shit-hole village wants you here."

Naruto eyed the man for a moment, considering his request. The whiskered blond knew that the possibility of him having a better life as Gensei's student existed. However, there was more reason for him to stay.

He could either be with one person who seemed to care about him, or he could be with a village that didn't care about him. But, he at least knew where he stood with the village. Gensei was a wild card. Naruto didn't want to answer.

'If I say yes, I'll get in trouble if we get caught. If I say no, he might very well kill me. He taught me everything I know; he gave me life as a ninja. He can just as easily take it away.' Naruto never wished for an interruption more than at that moment.

A purple-haired female ANBU burst through the window, followed by two others.

There was only a single moment of hesitation and tension in Naruto's apartment before everything spurned into motion.

An ANBU with a lizard mask blurred into action. He grabbed the Forbidden Scroll and threw it to the other subordinate ANBU, who jumped backward, narrowly avoiding a shuriken from Gensei. He took off into the night.

The ANBU captain attacked Gensei once more with her sword, faster than Naruto could see, but Gensei dodged it with ease. But the other ANBU came from the side and attacked, only to trip through the bunshin that the older ninja had used for his Kawarimi no Jutsu. Gensei, moving too fast for Naruto to see properly, aimed to shove a kunai into the man's head, but the female ANBU captain blocked it with the flat of her blade, knocking it out of his hand. The kunai cluttered on the floor near Naruto.

Gensei stopped the other ANBU's right hook with the bottom of his sandal and jumped, sticking his left hand against the ceiling of Naruto's bedroom. Moving his foot from the ANBU's fist, he kicked the blade of the sword into the female ANBU's neck, but she tilted body slightly, avoiding getting killed. Gensei grinned. It was exactly as he anticipated.

Using chakra to make the blade of the small sword stick to his sandal, he swung his leg back and to the side, driving the bottom of the sword through the mask of the other ANBU, hitting his forehead and knocking him out cold.

Gensei, releasing himself from the ceiling, walked slowly over to the struggling female ANBU. Her arms not moving, she pushed herself back against the wall with her legs, trying to put as much distance as possible between them. But it was useless.

"That sword was saturated with my chakra. It has special properties that causes temporary paralysis in those affected." Gensei explained, as he picked up the fallen wakizashi. The ANBU horrifyingly realized that she could not move her legs anymore.

His hand stretched out, and she shut her eyes, awaiting death. But it didn't come.

"Oho! Quite the looker, aren't you?" Gensei looked at her, a strange glint in his eyes, "It's too bad I lost the scroll. I'll have to take it out on you."

Uzuki Yuugao, now unmasked, glared at him. But she could do nothing as he grabbed the wakizashi once more, Gensei's paralysis preventing her from moving.

"Naruto-kun, watch closely." Gensei said cheerfully, gripping the small sword in his right hand, holding the flat against Yuugao's pretty face, "Torture and interrogation is important for a shinobi to learn."

There was no answer.

"Naruto-kun?"

Gensei suddenly felt a stab of pain in his back. The sword slipped from his hand, and fell to the floor. He turned around, facing Naruto, who was facing him, shaking. Yuugao saw that he had a kunai in his back, crudely inserted into his back.

"Naruto…" he gasped out, "You little _bastard_!"

Gensei's hands reached out to strangle him, his usual quickness lost to anger, but his hands went through. Kawarimi with Bunshin no Jutsu.

'_My technique! __Little bastard…!_'

However, Gensei was not completely without his skills. Naruto, who had appeared to his right, was unprepared when Gensei's hands shot out quicker this time and choked when they wrapped around his throat. He still too much for Naruto to handle, even with a kunai in his back.

"After everything I taught you, you little shit… but no matter…" Gensei couldn't focus his mind enough to finish his sentence. Naruto's vision was getting blurrier by the second, and his lungs hurt. He was dying… _he was dying_!

Instinct kicked in when he kicked and clawed at Gensei, who abruptly dropped him. The effect of the kunai in his back was kicking in.

Gensei stretched his arm around his back, and ripped out the kunai, ignoring the blaring pain that came with the action. He was going to _kill_ this little bastard.

Gensei stumbled forward with his kunai, aiming to kill. Naruto fumbled trying to perform the Kawarimi no Jutsu, but it was too late. Luckily, his aim was off, and he missed Naruto's heart, piercing his stomach instead. Naruto screamed out in pain.

'I… I… don't want to… die!'

This time, tears blurred his vision.

'Please… somebody… save me!'

He screamed again when the kunai was being turned slowly in his stomach. Gensei smirked cruelly before slowly taking it out, prolonging his torture.

'To think I was going to make this kid my apprentice.'

Gensei lifted the kunai, to forever end the miserable life of young Uzumaki Naruto. A horizontal slash…, his head was completely separated from his body and it rolled onto the floor, blood pouring out in copious. The body fell to its knees, and finally onto the floor, more blood flowing onto Naruto's bedroom floor.

Behind, Uzuki Yuugao was panting heavily, with her blood-stained wakizashi in her hand. She had done it.

Gensei was dead, his head severed from his body.

Yuugao had forcibly recovered from her paralysis, and just in time. The boy who had saved her life would've died if it weren't for her timely intervention.

Naruto weakly looked at the beautiful woman, who dropped to her knees in exhaustion, still affected by Gensei's paralyzing chakra. She crawled forward with a strange look in her eyes, an emotion he wasn't used to seeing.

'She's… worried… about me?' was the last thought that went through his head before he passed out due to blood loss.

Yuugao continued to crawl to Naruto but she had no idea how she was going to get him to a hospital in her current state. She reached for him and carefully put his head into her lap. While she waited for the reinforcements to come (they always came too _damn_ late), Yuugao observed his bloodstained face. It was Uzumaki Naruto, the vessel of the Kyuubi no Yoko.

Yuugao, like almost every other person in Konoha, had only appalling and untrue things to say about this poor boy. She, like many others, had lost friends and family members as well to the Kyuubi. She was too young at the time to go fight the Kyuubi and all she could do was watch helplessly as the bodies of her loved ones and comrades were buried. Even the Hokage, leader of the village, lost his life that day.

She had decidedly and unjustly hated this boy for that, unwilling to distinguish between the child and the demon fox. However, she had never encountered the boy before that night, so she would never know if her feelings would have made her see him as a monster. But after this night, after he saved her life, she could not hold on to the hatred she had felt. She realized how fickle her hatred was when she actually did meet the boy. While Yuugao did not comprehend why this boy stopped the despicable old man in his attempt at torture, why he didn't feed off of loneliness the way another child might have, she couldn't help regretting the feelings she had before.

'How much unnecessary pain has this child been through?' she thought. While he may never know the unkind thoughts and comments she had about him before, Yuugao, ever one for moral uprightness, resolved to make it up to him.

A lone figure came in from the window. It was a ninja she did not know, but he wore the _hitai-ate_ with the symbol of the leaf emblazoned on it. She sighed in relief.

"Quick! We have to get him to a hospital quick!" Yuugao told him. Everything was alright now. And after Naruto was released from the hospital, Yuugao would make it up to him.

However, the ninja was not in any rush to take Naruto to the hospital. He glanced at the head of Gensei, and clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Idiot was always too sadistic for his own good. I'll have to clean up his mess." The ninja took out a kunai, "I told him to choose another place to rendezvous, but as usual, he fucked up."

Yuugao stared at him in horror.

'_An accomplice?_'

"Reinforcements aren't coming. Sorry, but you have to die." the man said, "Any last words?"

This was the worst possible thing that could have happened. She could barely move, her energy having gone after being paralyzed by Gensei.

'I'm at a serious disadvantage. I'm tired, all I have is this wakizashi, and I can't let any harm to come to Naruto. On top of this, he has to get to the hospital soon, or he'll die.' Yuugao was at a loss at what to do, 'At the very least, I can stall.'

She opened her mouth to reply to him, only to be interrupted.

"Too late!" the man yelled, and he blurred in motion.

'NO!'

Yuugao only saw a glint of silver, before her body slumped to the floor… in relief. Her ANBU partner had woken up.

"Not today." he grunted, after having shoved a kunai through the man's ear. It was over.

"Come on, sempai, let's get you and the kid to the hospital." the ANBU said. There was a hole in his mask, but it was still intact.

"Naruto…," Yuugao said weakly, "I'm okay… _save him_. I… order you…"

"Don't worry, Uzuki-sempai, I'll make sure he lives!"

Her fatigue overcame her, and Yuugao finally slumped into blissful sleep. Her comrade picked up both of them, and after flaring out a chakra signature, sped off to the hospital, intent on saving the boy's life.

* * *

Chapter 00 – The Basis – Terminating

* * *

**Author's Note:**

This is a revised edition. Not too different from the original, but I didn't have much of a problem with the opening chapter that I had before. It certainly is shorter than it was before, but I think it's better for it.

Anyway, make sure to review!

knuckz


	2. 01: The Healing

Come Full Circle

by: knuckz

* * *

Summary: Ninjas use taijutsu to beat their opponents down, genjutsu to disillusion them, ninjutsu to destroy them or heal them, and weaponry for quick kills. Some specialize in specific areas, and exceed in that talent, while others keep a general base in all aspects. As such, there are general ninja's and nin-, tai-, and genjutsu masters respectively. This was before Uzumaki Naruto became a ninja. For the first time, there will be a fuuinjutsu specialist.

* * *

"blah" – talking

'blah' – thinking

* * *

Chapter 01 – The Healing – Commencing

* * *

Gekkou Hayate rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He didn't know what to say; it was a direct order, and he obeyed.

"It's okay, sempai, you don't have to owe me anything." he pleaded. The woman in front of him was bowing. Her long, purple hair came over her head, blocking off her face. It hung just above the floor.

"Regardless, if it was not for you, Gekkou-san, Uzumaki Naruto and I would surely have you." Yuugao said, still in her bow.

Hayate sighed.

"Please stop bowing, Uzuki-sempai." Yuugao straightened up. "Truly, it's fine. I couldn't have disobeyed you even if I wanted to. You gave a direct order, remember? Besides, I couldn't let my captain die."

Yuugao smiled sincerely at him. She reached into her kunai pouch and pulled out a scroll. Hayate looked at it apprehensively. Sealing was a more obscure shinobi art; anyone who could use sealing affectively would be someone to be wary of.

"Please take this as a token of my gratitude, Gekkou-san."

Yuugao held the scroll between her thumbs and index fingers, and did three quick hand seals. She rolled it open, and a _katana_ popped out, as if by magic.

"This katana has aided me in many battles, saving my life countless times. ANBU missions are very dangerous. I wish for you to keep it. It may very well save your life." Yuugao explained.

Hayate gingerly took the katana from her without complaint.

"I heard you were a budding swordsman. Maybe it will be of greater use to you than me, Gekkou-san." Yuugao said.

"Hayate." he replied, getting the feel for the katana. Yuugao looked at him, surprised. He smiled, "Call me Hayate."

Yuugao smiled in return, "Then, I must insist you call me Yuugao."

"Yes, Yuugao-sempai." Hayate replied.

"Uzuki-san." Yuugao turned. It was one of the ANBU commissioned to guard Naruto, "He is awake, and Hokage-sama requests your presence."

Yuugao nodded at Hayate, and left with the ANBU.

* * *

Naruto's eyes fluttered open suddenly, and he shot straight up out of bed. However, he quickly regretted his sudden action, as his stomach flared up in pain. He couldn't help but cough.

"Well, at least I know I'm alive." he muttered, rubbing his aching stomach. Naruto looked around. He was in the hospital.

He spotted an ANBU at the door, regarding him silently. He moved to get out of bed, but the ANBU, who crossed three metres in the blink of an eye, pushed him back in. Naruto glared at him, but the ANBU was unfazed.

"I was ordered to not let you out of bed."

Naruto got back into bed.

"Where is the Sandaime?" he asked. The ANBU did not say anything, returning to his original position. Naruto sighed. There was no helping it. But he had more important things to think about.

'That woman must have saved my life.'

Naruto's fingers moved to his chin, as he closed his eyes in frustration. But before he could ponder about this, the Sandaime Hokage followed by the very woman that saved his life came into the room.

"Ahh, Naruto-kun. You're awake." said the Sandaime, looking him up and down.

"Yep." was Naruto's short reply. He noticed that the purple-haired woman was looking at him intently.

'_Damn_. She definitely wants something from me.'

"I'm sure you'll be happy to know that you will make a full recovery."

'Still looking.'

"You were very close to dying."

'Stop staring at me.'

"About the man known as Gensei…"

'She's not stopping.'

"… village in Earth Country that was nearly destroyed by Konoha…"

Naruto bit his lip.

"… have returned his body to his village, as a safety precaution…"

His mouth quivered.

"… allowed out of the hospital tonigh-"

He couldn't hold it in anymore.

"… are clothes for you to wea-"

"STOP LOOKING AT ME!"

The Hokage and Yuugao reared back in surprise. Yuugao's cheeks reddened; she was embarrassed. The Hokage glanced at her.

"Naruto, this is Uzuki Yuugao. She saved your life last night." said the Sandaime, "Yuugao-kun asked to see you with me."

Naruto looked at her, and took a deep breath.

"Thank you for saving my life." Naruto said quietly.

"It was nothing." Yuugao replied quickly. The Hokage glanced at her in surprise. Uzuki Yuugao was usually very stoic, if not a little righteous, ever since she had joined the ANBU. Now however, it was as if she was an aspiring genin again. She had always been a bashful, but stubborn _kunoichi_; a personality trait she shared with Naruto.

"Well, I, at least think my life is more than nothing, so thank you anyway." Naruto said coolly. Yuugao slightly flinched. This wasn't going like she had envisioned. She had thought that the boy would be striving for anyone's attention.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like-" Yuugao started saying, but Naruto suddenly cut in with boisterous laughter.

"Ha! I got you, lady!" Naruto said, pointing and laughing. Inwardly, he was thinking something else.

'That was close. If she thinks I'm hostile, she'll approach more warily. As long as she believes that I'm as dumb as they come, I'll have space to manoeuvre.'

Naruto grinned.

"Naruto... That was a mean thing to do." the Sandaime chided, "Apologise." Naruto, anticipating this from the blissfully ignorant Hokage, played along perfectly.

"But why should I?" he shouted indignantly. The Sandaime smiled at him, and was about to say something, but Yuugao spoke quickly.

"It is okay, Hokage-sama. I do not mind." she said. Inwardly, she was thinking something else. The Hokage looked on impassively.

'His actions seem… rehearsed. It would be in my best interest to play along.'

"Uzumaki-san," Yuugao said slowly, as if Naruto was an average, dumb little seven-year-old, "I would like to thank you. You saved my life as well, when you had no reason to."

Naruto smirked mischievously.

'She suspects something.'

"Don't worry, Yuugao-san! It was nothing!" he said, grinning madly. The humour was apparent in his voice. In the background, the Sandaime sighed. However, Yuugao seemed to not care, because she smiled tentatively.

"Regardless, I believe my life to be more than nothing," she said in good humour, mimicking Naruto's previous words, "so I would like to repay you."

Naruto's mind was racing, as he reached for his clothes.

'Repay… me? I owe her my life. Why would she want to _repay_ me?'

Yuugao was waiting for a reply.

"Well, Uzumaki-san? I can at least take you out to eat. Where would you like to go?" she asked Naruto. He put his finger to his chin, deep in thought.

'_That's it!_ My best course of action is to bring her in close, and let her distance herself from me.' Naruto grinned.

"ICHIRAKU!" Naruto yelled out deafeningly, playing his part almost perfectly. The Hokage sighed.

"It's about the only thing he eats." he muttered. Yuugao heard him.

'If he only eats ramen at Ichiraku, then why did he have to think about it?' was her thought, 'He's definitely smarter than a regular seven-year-old. What is he planning?'

"Well, let us go to Ichiraku's. Will you come, Hokage-sama?" Yuugao asked, knowing he could not.

"No, sorry. I have other matters to attend to." the Hokage said, "Stay in good health, Naruto. Also, report to my office tomorrow; I think I have something you'd like."

The Hokage nodded at him, and gave Yuugao a discrete, but meaningful glance before leaving.

"Okay! Let's go, Yuugao-neechan!" Naruto said, smirking inwardly. He could eat ramen with the best of them. She had no idea what she was getting into.

Yuugao on the other hand, was trying hard not to feel pleased. She felt like she could be a big sister figure for him, but at the moment, she knew that he was faking. If anything, she wanted to earn the title of big sister properly. So she schooled her face into the usual cold impassiveness like all ANBU had been trained to exude.

"Okay." was her short crisp reply. She did not let any emotion into her voice. To his credit, Naruto kept the grin on his face. Inwardly however, he frowned.

'She seems to be catching on. But, she revealed her hand too early. I don't know exactly what she wants from me, but I know it involves me in some way. I acted too well; that's why she suspects me. My actions weren't natural, they were rehearsed. She must've caught that. But I didn't slip up, not like she did.'

The blond carefully avoided looking at Yuugao and just shrugged his shoulders before running, once again leaving her behind.

Yuugao followed him. The glance that the Hokage had given her told her a lot. The main message was: _be careful._ Of what though? She was just going to treat a little kid to some ramen, right?

* * *

Teuchi, sighed as he was making his next batch of noodles. He wasn't sure how much longer he could continue to make noodles. The revenue from the stand was dwindling, and he might soon be forced to retire it, despite hating the fact that he'd have to do so. More than just a means to money, it represented family. Memories of his deceased wife, Kokoro, and Ayame's childhood were what the stand represented for him.

Kokoro had loved the stand, and Ayame, who had only been six years old when Kokoro passed on to the next world, loved spending her time not playing with dolls, but working with her mother in the stand, while Teuchi watched over them proudly. Those times were truly the happiest in his life. Kokoro had been the pillar of their small but happy family. However, around seven and a half years ago, it all went downhill.

Ayame had fallen ill, playing in the rain with her friends. Kokoro had temporarily taken time off from Ichiraku to take care of her and Teuchi had taken over the stand at the time. His income was a bit slow, having to cover for two people, but when Kokoro returned it would be remedied.

But alas, it was not to be.

Kokoro, who had unfortunately inherited a weak immune system from her own father, had contracted an illness while nursing Ayame back to health. Teuchi would have closed the stand right there and then to take care of his wife, but luckily for him, one of Kokoro's friends had taken time off of her kunoichi duties to take care of her. However, Teuchi couldn't handle the massive amount of customers alone, so the numbers started dwindling.

Months later, Ichiraku had lost many of its customers. The only daily customers were the members from the Akimichi clan, and of course, the legendary Yondaime Hokage. Kokoro could have died any day at this point. The medicine to cure her was rare and expensive to find, and nobody had any luck in finding anyone to make it. Her friend, Kushina, practically lived with them to care for Kokoro. Ayame had fallen into an unhealthy depression due to her guilt for being the one that Kokoro had contracted the illness from. Things could not get any worse at that point.

Then the news of the Kyuubi no Yoko came.

Among the chaos that was occurring in Konoha at that point, Teuchi had received information that someone to make the cure for Kokoro's illness was located, but was at this point much too far for anybody to meet, especially as the Kyuubi was only a few days away. Kushina had immediately volunteered to go retrieve the medicine. Her offer was rejected by the Konoha council. And Teuchi had understood immediately.

The village was more important than his wife.

However, Kushina was persistent. The council had rejected her offer, so she decided to plead with the Yondaime Hokage to let her go. He would have definitely relented, but with the Kyuubi fast approaching, his duties as a Hokage and came before any others, and he had forbidden her from going.

"No," were his exact words, "I will go instead."

The dramatics of his statement were taken away when he left and came back with the medicine in about ten minutes, courtesy of Hiraishin. The council had still given him hell for doing it. Teuchi couldn't thank him enough for it.

Before they knew it, the day of the Kyuubi's attack came. It was Ayame's birthday, the tenth of October. Kokoro was making a miraculous recovery, and was feeling well enough to be walking around. Ayame's depression had vanished, only to be replaced with fear. The Kyuubi's killing intent was massive enough to be felt all over the village, even though it was many miles away. Ayame had even soiled her clothes that morning, though it was not embarrassing or humorous at all. Teuchi had only barely restrained himself from losing his own bladder.

Kushina went into premature labour.

As Teuchi worked on mixing the noodles, he smiled wryly at the shocking memory.

He hadn't even known Kushina was pregnant.

But the weight of the Kyuubi's killing intent had cancelled her genjutsu and forced it through, and a bright blond-haired blue-eyed baby was the result.

It went without saying. It was Ayame's worst birthday ever.

Baby Naruto might have been a bright spot on an otherwise horrible day, but the burden placed on him… Teuchi shook his head. There was no way he could have ever held a grudge against that boy. He had too much loyalty to Kushina for that.

Teuchi and Kokoro had sat down with Ayame, and made sure that she would not share the same fear of Naruto that the rest of the village had. Ayame, who was only five at the time, had listened adamantly, and agreed with whatever her mother was saying. She did not truly understand well at the time, but she understood that Naruto housed the Kyuubi, and that he was a baby, not a demon.

The threat of the Kyuubi was gone, and the reinstated Sandaime had made a law where none were allowed to speak of the Kyuubi with penalty of death. It was all to protect Naruto from those who thought him to be the demon himself. Teuchi was there when Kushina gave birth to him (though Naruto had no idea); he had to admit that Naruto certainly didn't look like a demon.

Demon or not, the law was in place, and the Yondaime, for whom the village was in mourning, was dead and buried. Kokoro had fallen slightly ill again, because the medicine had not been strong enough. The doctors had said that the person who made the medicine did not take into account that Kokoro had a weak immune system, thus resulting in her contracting the illness once more. Without someone to make the medicine again, both Kokoro and he knew that she would not survive. They decided not to tell Ayame or Kushina, if only to spare them the pain of knowing. It was then that Ichiraku was closed temporarily, as Teuchi helped in the movement to rebuild the village.

Kushina had moved to a new apartment and lived alone with Naruto. She was also in depression, having lost her husband. Naruto was the only reason she was still alive, but without the support of anybody else, the bubbly young baby was too much for her to handle. Then, when Naruto had been about eight months old…

Teuchi shut his eyes tightly as the tears sprung.

Kushina had died that day. He could not believe that she would be killed so easily, even against the numerous enemies that had attacked her. But the truth was that she hadn't even fought back, having lost her will to live. Her loving (secret) husband was dead, and most of her friends stopped associating with her, and her son was one of the most hated people in the entire village.

Kushina had died willingly, abandoning her one and only son.

Luckily, baby Naruto was in his care on that day, else he would've died alongside his mother. Uzumaki Kushina had taken the coward's way out.

Kokoro died about a month after Ayame's sixth birthday. Ayame, to this day, thought that Kokoro had died because of her depression of losing her best friend. While Ayame did not exactly know how Kushina had died, she was half right. The illness had also acted up, and Kokoro was dying.

Her last wish, her dying wish, was that he keep Ichiraku alive. It was a place of such happiness for her. The memories of good times there were the most priceless. The times when it was just him, Kokoro, and Ayame; and sometimes Kushina would come with her husband (which was a deep secret that only a few knew). This was before the stand became popular. When the customers were few, and the money was scarce; but that was when they were happiest.

Once Kokoro had died, Naruto, who had been in their care, was sent to an orphanage on Teuchi's request. This was one of his greatest regrets, one that would haunt him for the rest of his life. But, he couldn't care for Naruto, especially when Ayame was so young, and so many people were willing to hurt the poor babe. He made just enough money to provide for himself and Ayame; taking care of young Naruto would ensure that he would not survive. He couldn't ask anyone else for any money, not when the charisma of the village was in shambles. Many shinobi had died in the attack, civilians were being asked to do some jobs that shinobi would normally do.

Teuchi knew, no matter how much he denied it, that by sending Naruto to an orphanage he had destroyed the boy's chances of having a happy childhood. Ayame had even questioned why he couldn't keep Naruto, but he had lied to her, not wanting to admit it. He had not wanted to admit that he was a coward. That he was running away.

And with the way things were looking now...

'Ichiraku may not have long to go.'

'What am I going to tell Ayame, or Naruto for that matter? What would you think of me, Kokoro?' Teuchi sighed wearily. He couldn't stall much longer. Sooner or later, he'd have to tell them.

* * *

Yuugao stared.

And stared. And stared some more. Her fingers trembled. One of her eyes twitched. She was biting her lips.

'This… _brat!_' was what she was thinking. How such a small child could pack away so much ramen was beyond her. He had just eaten the equivalent of a C-rank mission pay. In one sitting. The chef, whose name she learned was Teuchi, grinned at her. Yuugao understood. She wasn't the first person the gaki had done this to.

"Ahh, I'm stuffed! Thanks a lot, Yuugao-neechan!" Naruto couldn't keep the mocking grin from his face. The stack of ramen bowls was teetering. Yuugao reckoned it was about as tall as her if she stood beside it.

'Thanks a lot my…'

"You're welcome." was her cold reply. She didn't have to force herself to keep a frosty tone. She wanted to strangle the kid. This was his plan! He was going to eat away all of her money!

'Well, it isn't going to work. I'm going to be part of your life whether you like it or not, Naruto-kun.' Yuugao was adamantly thinking. Naruto was thinking something else, something more devious.

'Just one more push, and she'll think twice before trying to mess with my life!'

Naruto put his hands behind his head.

"We should do this again, Yuugao-neechan!" he exclaimed, grinning widely. Yuugao regarded him with a small smile on her face.

'He looks cute. In a fake, devious, sort of way of course.'

"Yes, we should. It was fun."

Naruto's grin slipped very slightly, but Yuugao caught it.

Yuugao smirked inwardly, 'Got you.'

"Actually, I think I want another bowl! _Teuchi-occhan_! Beef ramen!" Naruto said, even though he could barely eat anymore.

"Coming right up!" Teuchi grinned.

'If Naruto keeps bringing people like this,' he thought jokingly, 'maybe I'll be able to keep the stand.'

Yuugao held back her glare. The kid was going to eat until he puked.

Silently, Yuugao took a scroll out of her kunai pouch. Naruto watched her curiously. She bit her thumb, drawing blood, and rolled open the scroll. Naruto saw a four column array. With her blood, she made a circle and drew a '_pull seal_' inside of it while focusing a little chakra for a sacrifice. Immediately feeling the slight pull in her brain, Yuugao concentrated her chakra to the right amount and made a tiger hand seal. In a small poof, money popped out.

Naruto was flabbergasted.

'_Fuuinjutsu!_'

Yuugao placed the money on the counter.

"This should be enough for the meal." Yuugao said indifferently. She noted the shocked look on Naruto's face.

'Looks like he's interested in fuuinjutsu.'

Shaking his head, Naruto said his graces once more before digging in feverishly, as if he hadn't eaten a stack of ramen earlier, "_Itadakimasu!_"

As he was eating, Naruto felt a pair of arms encircle him, and felt another cheek rub into his own whiskered one.

"_Good evening, Naruto-chan!_"

Naruto quickly swallowed the noodles hanging from his mouth before protesting, "Get off, Ayame-neechan!" When he looked back on the day, he thought that it had been a bad idea on his part to swallow the noodles so quickly.

Ayame backed off, pouting.

"Tch, so mean."

Smiling at Yuugao, she entered the stand, greeting her father and dropping off her school bag, before pulling up a chair and sitting across from Naruto.

Ayame sighed as she propped her elbows on the counter and placed her head in her hands, leaning forward on the counter. She looked at Naruto.

"You're so lucky, Naruto-chan. I bet ninja academy will be so much more fun than regular school! Today was so boring!"

Naruto did not reply. He was sure that more than words would come out of his mouth if he did.

"Anyway, where were you these past three days? Why… why do you look so green?" Ayame said, backing away looking at Naruto's face.

"Grk!" Naruto, in response, jumped from his stool, and ran to the nearest alley. Yuugao followed after him, if only to mock him.

After emptying the contents of his stomach into a dumpster, Naruto bent over breathing.

"Yuck, I hate the taste of vomit."

Yuugao, who was unfazed at the sight of vomit, grinned viciously.

"Maybe you would like another bowl to take away the bad taste?"

Naruto bent over the dumpster again.

Yuugao kept grinning.

'That'll teach him.'

* * *

Naruto walked back looking much better, but he was disgruntled. Yuugao had an amused look on her face, no doubt finding humour in Naruto's misery.

"Eh? What's wrong, Ayame-neechan?" Naruto questioned, having caught sight of her tearing eyes.

"Naruto… tousan… the stand!" Ayame choked out, tears falling fresh from her eyes, "He wants to close..."

'No way!' Naruto slowly turned to Teuchi. This couldn't be happening. How could he? This is the one true place he could call _home._

"_Why?_ You… do you need money? Is it all the free meals you gave me? You don't have to give me any more free meals! I'll give you money! Why?" Naruto was getting hysterical. Tears were threatening to spill.

Yuugao looked at him, surprised. The boy was very resilient from what she had seen so far. Why was he breaking down so quickly after hearing this news?

'He… must really love his ramen.' was her thought. But as Yuugao saw the seriousness of the situation, she didn't think it was so funny.

"Naruto… I'm sorry. _Really_. But I can't afford to keep it." was all Teuchi could say. Naruto immediately felt worse.

'Teuchi-occhan… he can't afford to keep it? If he does, then what will happen if he goes bankrupt? What will become of Ayame-neechan?' Naruto thought sadly, 'Am I being selfish? Why should he keep the stand for my sake, when he and his daughter would suffer?'

Naruto couldn't stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. Yuugao silently watched.

"Tousan! Kaasan's memory! Her wish!" Ayame wailed. Teuchi wrapped her up in a comforting hug. Naruto couldn't help but turn away, sadly.

'Ayame-neechan…'

Naruto didn't mind the tears that were falling to the ground. As much as he thought of Teuchi and Ayame as his family, he knew that the bond between blood families was much greater still. But a comforting hug wouldn't hurt. Right now, his only salvation was his tears. Each drop carried within it a little bit of his sadness. It would take many more tears before he felt better.

Yuugao watched Naruto, noticing the tears.

'Is he crying for them, or for himself? Or maybe both?'

Yuugao thought that he could use a hug, but her body refused to move. Would he appreciate her hugging him, or would he resent it? The boy didn't seem to like outsiders, and she was exactly that. But he really looked like he could use a hug.

She didn't move to comfort the boy. She just stood, silently watching, not letting any emotions out like the ANBU she was.

* * *

The Sandaime Hokage watched the events unfold from far away, perched on the rooftops, observing silently and undetected.

'It seems, Yuugao-kun, being a big sister for Naruto will not be so easy.' The Sandaime knew that ANBU was supposed to kill the heart of the shinobi in order to make them perfect, and that Yuugao had refused to let her heart be killed. But it seemed that the ANBU had more influence on her than she thought.

'Being a part of Naruto's life is not easy. Naruto only truly lets people into his life if he trusts them. While it may make life tougher for him, he hasn't exactly had anyone to teach him, considering the indifference he has felt from almost everyone around him.' The Sandaime sighed. He had made the law in hopes that Naruto's life could be a bit happier, among other things. But he could not force to village populace to accept and acknowledge him.

The aging Hokage sadly watched as Naruto suddenly ran away from the stand, his sorrow sprinkling the ground in the form of tears. Naruto thought that he had no idea, but the Sandaime knew of Naruto's cleverly hidden genius. But the Sandaime understood where Naruto didn't that genius did nothing against human emotions. As hard as ninja tried, emotions could not be destroyed, only contained. Naruto, while a genius in his own rite, was also a seven-year-old boy.

'He'll come to terms with it, and will be all that much stronger for it.' the Sandaime confidently thought.

Turning his gaze upon Yuugao once more, he noticed that she watched Naruto run away with a confused look on her face. The Hokage could understand her confusion through experience of dealing with this many times before. As much as she wanted to comfort the boy, she found that she could not move. The ANBU didn't exactly promote closeness. Yuugao was unique in that attribute.

'This will not end so badly, I think.' thought the Sandaime. "This might be exactly what they needed to feel… to _heal_.'

Yuugao had been following Naruto the whole night. This time however, she did not follow.

* * *

Chapter 01 – The Healing – Terminating

* * *

**Author's Note: **

Revisions are getting harder and harder for some reason. It's hard to bring it up to my current level of writing because I already have so much of it written, and I don't want to exactly rewrite the whole thing. Ah well. It is what it is. Something is better than nothing, I suppose.

I disliked having such a long scene where Teuchi just thinks of the past, and I did cut it down, but it's still pretty long. Ah well.

The scene where Naruto and Ayame learn of the precarious situation of the stand seems a bit silly, especially given the dramatic reactions that the two of them had, but it's been emphasized how much the stand meant to the two of them.

Anyway, be sure to review!

knuckz


	3. Interlude: Ayame's Pet

Come Full Circle  
by: knuckz

* * *

Summary: Ninjas use taijutsu to beat their opponents down, genjutsu to disillusion them, ninjutsu to destroy them or heal them, and weaponry for quick kills. Some specialize in specific areas, and exceed in that talent, while others keep a general base in all aspects. As such, there are general ninja's and nin-, tai-, and genjutsu masters respectively. This was before Uzumaki Naruto became a ninja. For the first time, there will be a fuuinjutsu specialist.

* * *

"blah" – talking

'blah' – thinking

* * *

The main character in this filler chapter is _Ichiraku Ayame_, who is eight years old.

* * *

Chapter 1.5 – Interlude: Ayame's Pet – Commencing

* * *

It was currently the month of January, and the chilly season of winter had invaded Konoha, leaving none safe from its frosty touch, whether young or old, civilian or shinobi. However, despite the cold, Konoha did not often see snow. This year was different than most, as there was a nice snowfall this year. Through the months of snowfall, kids were engaged in uncommon winter activities, for Konoha at least. It was quite a sight to see children rolling around in the snow, or building snowmen. Some couples were even enjoying walks out in the cool weather, hugging each other closely.

There was definitely an air of romance.

This was also a great opportunity for the deadlier population of Konoha, the shinobi. Instead of using kunai or shuriken to practice, snowballs were used to prevent fatal injury. Veteran shinobi were using snow-walking as a means to refine their chakra control; it was very different than most of the regular chakra control techniques used in Konoha. The idea was to mold chakra at the bottom of their feet and harden the snow beneath the foot until no imprints were left. The more perfectionist and elite shinobi even went as far as to return the snow to its original softness after removing their foot for the sake of true stealth.

However, though winter did bring a certain joy with it, today was not a particularly joyful day. The winter wind, though usually nice and cool against the face, was harsh and stinging with a particular ravage. Much of the population had stayed indoors today, and many shops were so consequentially closed.

Of course, not many shop owners were as stubborn as Ichiraku Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku, a humble, but relatively famous ramen stand.

Teuchi sighed as he sat at the counter, awaiting customers looking for the delicious flavour and warmth of ramen. There was no one but him in the stand at the moment.

The day had brought precious few customers; in fact, only the ninjas who were brave enough to weather the weather had come. Ayame, who was eight years old at the moment, was in her room. She had fervently told her father to stay away.

Teuchi couldn't help but grin. As sneaky as Ayame tried to be, she was only eight years old. It was quite obvious that she was hiding something from him.

"May I ask what is so funny?"

Teuchi jerked in surprise. He looked into the waiting eyes and wry smile of the Sandaime Hokage.

"Hokage-sama! Ahh, welcome, welcome! Sorry to keep you waiting, what can I get you?" Teuchi said, feeling a little embarrassed that he had been caught so unfocused.

"A miso ramen, if you will, Teuchi-san." The Hokage said, smiling pleasantly.

"Coming right up!"

Teuchi went on making the ramen with a practiced speed, and the Hokage has his warm miso ramen within minutes.

"Ahh, thank you." said the old man, placing money on the counter after grabbing the bowl of steaming noodles, "It is much too cold today, wouldn't you agree?"

Teuchi nodded, seated once more.

"Yes. The unexpected snowfall brought me a lot of business, but nobody wants to leave their homes today." Teuchi responded, "You're the first in a while, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage swallowed the food in his mouth before responding, "Well, despite the slow day, I'm sure you must have had a funny thought or you would not have been grinning so."

Teuchi grinned again.

"Oh, I was just thinking about Ayame." he replied.

"Where is little Ayame? I was wondering why I didn't hear her delightful voice upon entering the shop." the Hokage asked, drinking the last of his ramen.

"She's locked herself in her room." Teuchi replied, smiling. "Not before telling me that I was not allowed in under any circumstances."

The Hokage gave him an inquiring look.

"For the past week, she's been hiding away in her room most of the time. She always asks to eat in her room, and is eating more food than she usually would. And she goes to take a shower, while coming out looking like she hasn't showered at all. I'm sure it is quite obvious what she's trying to hide from me." Teuchi said.

The Hokage chuckled.

"I must say, she's a lovely girl. I'm afraid that not many girls her age would be able to bear the responsibility of taking in a stray and making it her pet." he replied, "Do you know what it is yet?"

Teuchi shook his head.

"I'm not sure, but I believe it to be a cat. If not, then a very quiet dog. Ayame has enough sense not to take in something dangerous." Teuchi said.

"Most parents would make their children get rid of such pets." the Hokage said, "That's a testament to your great parenting skills."

"Well, she'll have to let it go eventually." Teuchi said gruffly, not used to being praised so easily by the Hokage, "I think I'll let her keep it until the snow dries up."

"I hope the creature isn't sick or infected." said the Hokage, worriedly. He looked at the bowl of ramen he had just consumed. Teuchi let out a sharp laugh.

"Don't worry, Hokage-sama, I haven't let Ayame near the food." Teuchi said, "Anyway, I don't think I'll confront her about it, unless it becomes trouble."

"I'm glad, Teuchi-san. The smiles of the children must be cherished. It is their happiness that keeps these old bones going." the Hokage said.

"Ahh, well, I must be off. The work of a Hokage never ends, I'm afraid." the Sandaime said, sadly. Teuchi nodded.

"Well, thank you for coming, Hokage-sama." Teuchi said.

"Please pass on my greetings to Ayame-chan. Take care."

After the Hokage left, Teuchi decided it was a good time as any to close up for the day. It didn't seem like anyone else was going to come. Perhaps tomorrow would be a more fruitful day.

* * *

"Tousan, I'm gonna eat in my room."

Teuchi suppressed his grin. Just because he was letting her keep her stray didn't mean he could give her a hard time for it.

"You know, Ayame-chan, you've been eating a lot lately." Teuchi said, in an offhand approach.

"Oh, umm… I've just… I…" Ayame seemed flustered for a moment before recovering, "I've just been feeling hungry, s'all."

"Oh, don't eat too much, or you'll get fat!" He poked her stomach, inciting a giggle.

"I'll be fine." Ayame suddenly looked at him accusingly, "Don't come!"

Teuchi held up his hands in surrender.

"I won't, I won't."

He watched as Ayame put food for two into a tray, along with some milk.

'Yes, most definitely a cat.' Teuchi thought, grinning as she left.

* * *

A loud clang jerked him awake. Teuchi rubbed the blurriness from his eyes. The noise had come from the stand. Was it a burglar? Teuchi hurriedly, yet cautiously headed to the stand. As he came closer, he heard a familiar voice.

"Oh… I hope tousan didn't wake up!"

Teuchi sighed softly in relief. It was just Ayame.

'But what is she doing up at this hour?' Teuchi thought, "Perhaps feeding her pet?" Teuchi's thought turned out to be correct.

"Betcha' never had ramen before!" she chirped. Teuchi backed away a little, so it would appear that he was farther away.

"Ayame?" Teuchi called, walking slowly to give Ayame the chance to hide her pet, "What are you doing up this late?"

"Oh no! Quick, hide here! Stay there!" Teuchi could hear Ayame's whispered voice. He waited a few seconds before stepping out. She was standing in front of the sink, with her back to the cabinet doors.

'So that's where she's hiding it." Teuchi thought.

"Tousan! Oh, umm… I was feeling a little hungry, so I thought I'd have some ramen! Hehehe…" Ayame said, grabbing a half eaten ramen bowl. She made to eat from it, but Teuchi stopped her.

"It's okay Ayame; you don't need to convince me anymore. I already know." Teuchi said. He hated to do it, but if her pet really was sick then he couldn't have it in the stand and eating from the same bowls that he served to customers. Ayame looked shocked at the fact that he knew. She had tried her hardest to hide it!

"I'm sorry!" she wailed, "But, he was outside alone, and he ran away from home, and I couldn't just let him stay outside in the cold, and… and…"

"It's okay Ayame." Teuchi interrupted smilingly, "I'm not making you get rid of him."

"You- you're not?"

'And break my little girl's heart? I should think not!' Teuchi thought to himself.

"No, no. It was a good thing that you've done Ayame-chan, to take care of something. It is one of the greatest joys someone can have." he said.

"Now, I'm guessing the poor fellow was hungry?" Teuchi said, bending in front of the sink cabinet doors.

"Yeah, he woke me up! He can eat so m-uww-ch!" Ayame said, yawning.

"Well then," Teuchi said, opening the cabinet doors, "Let's feed hi-"

Teuchi almost had a stroke right there and then. It felt surreal. He had thought it was a cat, but he was wrong. It wasn't a cat; it wasn't even a dog. No, what he was looking at was the tiny face and curious blue eyes of none other than Uzumaki Naruto.

"Naruto?" Teuchi whispered, so softly that only he could hear it.

"C'mon Naruto-chan!" Ayame called, "Isn't it great! You don't have to stay cramped up in my room all the time now!"

"But…" Naruto whispered softly. Teuchi realized that this was the first time he actually heard Naruto speak.

"I like it in Ayame-neechan's room…" His voice was so soft. This was Uzumaki Naruto, the son of Uzumaki Kushina? Teuchi couldn't believe that _any_ offspring of Kushina could be so soft-spoken.

"Oh Naruto, you don't hafta be quiet anymore!" Ayame said, "You're allowed to stay with us! Tousan said its okay!"

"OKAY! Then, can I stay in your room, Ayame-neechan!" Naruto suddenly yelled happily, as if he hadn't screamed in ages.

'Never mind, he is definitely Kushina's son.' Teuchi thought flatly.

"Now, Naruto…" Teuchi started, gaining Naruto's attention, "Aren't you supposed be at the orphanage?"

Naruto pouted.

"I ran away! They don't like me, and I don't like them either!" he exclaimed, "Why?"

"Well, you can stay with us for the time being, but you'll have to go back eventually, or Ayame and I might get into trouble." Teuchi explained.

"Aww, do I have to?" At Teuchi's nod, Naruto pouted again. "But wait, how do you know I lived at the orphanage?"

"Oh! Umm-"

"Hey Naruto-chan! Don'tcha wanna finish your ramen!" Ayame interrupted, "I wanna go back to sleep, and I need my new teddy bear!"

"RAMEN!" Naruto suddenly jumped at Ayame, reaching for his beloved noodles. She giggled as they tumbled onto the floor. Naruto proceeded to attack the salty food with fervor.

Teuchi sighed with relief. Then he looked at the pair with a smile.

'Ayame, my darling little girl. You don't fully realize what you've done, but you have gained a loyal little brother who will love you forever.' he couldn't help but think fondly.

He watched as Naruto finished his ramen, and as Ayame dragged her new teddy bear back to bed.

'And a ramen lover! I can't wait until he gets some money; I just know I'm going to make a fortune off him alone!'

Teuchi rubbed his hands in anticipation.

* * *

"_Itadakimasu_!" rang Naruto's voice, as he attacked his ramen voraciously. As he ate, he felt a pair of arms encircle him from the back and heard a familiar voice whisper in his ears.

"Where are you these days, Naruto-chan?" Ayame said. "I want my teddy bear back!"

Naruto smiled at the memories.

"Let me eat, Ayame-neechan!" he yelled in mock anger.

"_Mou_, so mean."

'Everything will be alright.' Teuchi thought, as he watched his _two_ children play frolicking with each other.

* * *

Chapter 1.5 – Interlude: Ayame's Pet – Terminating

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

The ending is still too cute. I want to rage. Ah well.**  
**

I barely did anything here. It's just a filler chapter showing how Ayame and Naruto first met. Of course, Ayame knew of Naruto before he knew of her, and that was why she took him in after he had apparently 'ran away from home'.

Anyway, read on!

knuckz


	4. 02: The Circle

Come Full Circle  
by: knuckz

* * *

Summary: Ninjas use taijutsu to beat their opponents down, genjutsu to disillusion them, ninjutsu to destroy them or heal them, and weaponry for quick kills. Some specialize in specific areas, and exceed in that talent, while others keep a general base in all aspects. As such, there are general ninja's and nin-, tai-, and genjutsu masters respectively. This was before Uzumaki Naruto became a ninja. For the first time, there will be a fuuinjutsu specialist.

* * *

"blah" – talking

'blah' – thinking

* * *

Chapter 02 – The Circle – Commencing

* * *

Teuchi regarded the impassive woman in front of him.

Yuugao, quite obviously a member of Konoha's ANBU forces if the mask hanging from her belt was any indication, was a decidedly odd woman.

Her long, flowing, silky, _violet_ hair would've been the first sign to her oddity, but Teuchi had seen enough weird hair colours and styles that it was quite easy to see a violet hair colour as normal. It was her fixation with Naruto that made her odd.

She had not known Naruto for a long time, having only met him after the blond had been caught up in one of her missions. Teuchi did not know the details behind the situation that had led to their meeting, but from what he had picked up from the woman, Naruto had saved her life.

It was probably the reason why she seemed so obsessed with the blond.

Perhaps she merely felt indebted to the blond for having saved her life or perhaps it was because of her own desires. Maybe it was a mixture of both.

Whatever it was that drove Uzuki Yuugao's ambition to be a part of Naruto's life, it was also what made her stand in front of him.

"You want to what?"

"I'm going to be off-duty for quite a while." Yuugao told him, "And it seems that you are losing customers."

"What…"

"The reason why you cannot afford the stand," Yuugao continued, "has nothing to do with the food, and more to do with the volume of customers you receive. Because only yourself and your daughter work here, you cannot possibly manage the customers that come to your stand all by yourselves, and that's why you've been losing customers."

"My solution will work." Yuugao told him.

Teuchi regarded her for a moment before replying.

"I can't afford to pay you for advertising." he said, "I don't have the funds for another employee."

"I don't need money." Yuugao replied, "If it means that your stand will stay open, I'll help out for free."

Teuchi already suspected her real reasons for offering to work for free.

"If you feel so strongly, then I'll gladly accept your help." Teuchi told her, "I can swallow my pride if it means that I'll be able to support my family."

"But what are your real reasons for doing this?" Teuchi asked, surprising Yuugao with this question. She didn't reply immediately, obviously rushing to think of an answer.

"I… I can't just stand by and let this stand go out of business." Yuugao told him. Teuchi shook his head.

"Is it for Naruto?" he continued, ignoring Yuugao's obvious lie. Yuugao didn't reply, causing Teuchi to sigh.

"Listen. I don't know your reasons for wanting to help Naruto, but if you're really sincere about helping him, you had better prepare yourself to be an active part of his life." Teuchi told her, "Naruto doesn't trust easy; he was raised that way."

"I…" Yuugao hesitated, "I don't know how to…"

"Naruto's exceptionally curious." Teuchi told her, "He'll question everything, and it's probably why he's so intelligent at such a young age. It won't be easy, but if you keep trying, if you let him know your true intentions through your actions, you can do it."

Yuugao didn't say anything.

"But you'll never get anywhere if you don't open up to him. You can't expect it to be a one-sided thing, not with Naruto. He's not like other children, he's not going to trust you if you don't give him any reason to." Teuchi said. Yuugao regarded him for a moment before replying.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Teuchi fell silent for a minute, thinking of his own reasons. Naruto, despite how much he got along with Ayame, needed more people he could trust in, confide in. Teuchi knew how much Ayame meant to the blond, but Ayame was far from being a shinobi, and Naruto was definitely going to be one. He needed someone else, someone with whom he could relate.

"I'm doing it for him." Teuchi told her, putting it simply but not elaborating. When Yuugao didn't reply, Teuchi just sighed.

"Look, I'm trying to help you here. The only advice I can give you is to not try to hide your objective from him." Teuchi told her, "He'll only trust you less. It's up to you to follow it."

The two of them just stared at each, gazes locked as they each pondered the course of action that the woman would take.

Yuugao was the first to break eye contact, gazing at the floor in deep thought.

* * *

The Sandaime Hokage looked at the sheets in front of him. That man had infiltrated Konoha and lived here for so long; were the defenses of the village so despicable?

Gensei had been a genin from one of the older generations; one of those failures that hadn't made it to chuunin. The Sandaime didn't know him at all, but then again there were many shinobi that the Hokage didn't know personally.

Apparently, the real Gensei had looked very similar to the man that had been impersonating him for so long.

The impersonator had snuck in as a civilian needing a job. It was as is that he watched his look-alike from afar, learning personality traits and the like. And the civilian disappeared around the same time as the real Gensei had been sent on a mission.

It was a seemingly easy C class mission with his two teammates. It was assumed that the impersonator had decided to use this chance to strike. After the mission was accomplished, on the way back, he had killed all three members of the team, got rid of the body of the real Gensei, and brought the bodies of his two dead teammates all the way back to Konoha. And the story from there was of basic infiltration.

But there was evidence of an accomplice. And there could be more.

'Something must be done.' thought the Sandaime, grimly.

* * *

Yuugao headed straight towards Naruto's apartment, already cleaned and rebuilt after the whole fiasco had gone down. It had been only a few hours since she had spoken with Teuchi, and the ANBU kunoichi had done some deep thinking about exactly what she wanted with the blond jinchuuriki.

It wasn't the first time that someone had saved her life, and she hadn't been so adamant about involving herself in their lives. Granted, Naruto wasn't exactly a ninja, but in the end it amounted to the same.

That meant that she wanted something more than just repaying the life debt that she felt she owed the blond.

Yuugao took a deep breath before knocking on the front door. When she heard the shuffling of feet, likely Naruto's, the violet-haired woman could feel her heartbeat quicken. Nervousness attacked her, but Yuugao's mind was set. She wasn't about to falter now.

The door creaked open, and Naruto stood inside, regarding her with no small amount of surprise.

"Yuugao-san." Naruto said softly, pausing for a moment. The two of them watched each other, the blond uncertain of what the woman wanted and she uncertain of what he was thinking.

"What're you doing here?" Naruto asked. Yuugao took a deep breath again.

"I wished to speak with you, Uzumaki-san." Yuugao told him, her voice unwavering, "May I come in?"

Naruto looked at her with suspicion, but backed away nonetheless, granting her entrance into his small apartment. Yuugao stepped beyond the threshold, going inside past the blond. Naruto shut the door behind her as she slipped off her sandals.

"C'mon." Naruto muttered, walking past her into the main room, "Let's grab a seat or something."

Following him, Yuugao sat down beside him on his sofa. Naruto's apartment was quite small, a single room with an attached kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. The blond had all the necessary furniture, rugs, dining table, sofa, and a television, but not much else. She noticed a shelf in the corner of the room, full of books and scrolls, and a few plants here and there, but apart from that it was barren, an apartment that could house one or two persons.

"Well, was there something you wanted to talk about?" Naruto asked, his voice sounding duller than Yuugao had ever heard it. He was probably still upset over Ichiraku's impending bankruptcy.

"That other night, when we are at Ichiraku…" Yuugao started, noticing the blond twitch, "I noticed you looking surprised when I had unsealed money from my scroll."

Naruto eyed her weirdly. He obviously had not expected this.

"I… yeah. It was fuuinjutsu." the blond said, "What about it?"

"Are you interested in fuuinjutsu?" Yuugao asked. Naruto paused at her words.

"It… I've experimented with a few seals here and there… it's a pretty interesting art." Naruto replied, unsure of what the woman wanted.

"Would… would you like to learn?" Yuugao asked, dropping the bomb without any subtlety as all. Naruto eyed her with a surprised look on his face.

"Learn fuuin… you want to teach me?" Naruto asked her, flabbergasted, "Why?"

Yuugao bit her lip, hesitating for only a moment, but remembering Teuchi's advice, she powered on.

"There are a lot of reasons, and I don't think I know them all myself." Yuugao told him truthfully, "You saved my life that night, and I do feel indebted, but it's more than that."

"I grew up as an only child, and… my parents decided to not have another child." Yuugao told him truthfully, "I've always… I've always wanted to have a sibling, someone to whom I could be a big sister."

Naruto watched her with bewilderment, understanding what but uncomprehending why of what she was trying to tell him.

"I thought that perhaps, because the opportunity presented itself, maybe there can be more to… well, _us._" Yuugao finished awkwardly. As Yuugao waited silently for him to speak, Naruto opened and closed his mouth a few times before replying.

"So… you're saying that… you want to be my big sister?" Naruto asked, speaking clumsily. Yuugao didn't reply, only ducking her head slightly at Naruto's incredulous gaze. Naruto just gaped at her, disbelieving what she had told him. The two sat in silence as Naruto tried to get his mind around her request.

Yuugao trembled nervously for a moment. She may have been ANBU, a cold and collected kunoichi of Konoha, but she had just told the blond something personal, something that could've been considered a weakness.

"I… I understand if-" Yuugao started, but Naruto cut her off.

"If… if you're really sure…" Naruto said, "I guess… there's no harm in… trying."

It was Yuugao's turn to look at him with disbelief, having expected him to refuse to have anything to do with her. If anything, Yuugao looked hopeful.

"Then…" Yuugao said, trailing off. Naruto just shrugged, and an awkward silence befell upon the two. They sat quite uncomfortably on Naruto's couch, and it wasn't until Yuugao remembered her original offer that someone spoke.

"Well, how about we talk about fuuinjutsu?" the woman suggested to the blond, giving him a hesitant smile. Naruto couldn't help but be excited.

"Sure."

He didn't trust her, not so immediately, but he felt her sincerity. It wasn't like the feigned consideration that Gensei had exuded; he could feel that she was putting forth her feelings, putting some of her trust in him. Other than Ayame, Naruto didn't really have anyone he could trust in.

'Maybe,' he thought, 'I can give it another shot.'

* * *

Naruto had already explained to Yuugao whatever he knew about the 'what's' of fuuinjutsu, and demonstrated the basic sealing and unsealing method that was popular amongst shinobi that bothered to use fuuinjutsu: the sealing of physical objects. In Naruto's case, he used a kunai.

While he had been extremely saddened that Ichiraku was facing bankruptcy, he hadn't exactly sat around and just cried all day. Granted, he was moping around, but that didn't stop him from reading up on the fuuinjutsu scrolls that Gensei had left him before his unfortunate (or fortunate) demise.

"That was an excellent demonstration of the basis of sealing techniques." Yuugao started, her voice sounding brighter than usual, "Now, I want you forget everything about what you just did, because it is useless."

"Wha-?"

Yuugao smiled at the disbelieving and flustered look on his face.

"You'll notice that most seals require a complex stream of special symbols ordered in exactly the right place. That makes even the simplest of things, like sealing a kunai, a lengthy task. This is the reason that most shinobi all over the world do not bother with fuuinjutsu. However, it is little known that there is another method." Yuugao began explaining.

"There is one symbol amongst the millions that can be used in almost every seal that someone makes. That symbol is _the circle_." Yuugao paused for a moment, looking at Naruto seriously.

"The Yondaime Hokage discovered this not too long before he died. This is a very well kept Konoha secret; even here there are only but a select few who know. I trust you won't reveal it to anyone?" her voice suddenly took a foreboding tone.

"Got it." Naruto said, slightly shaken.

'This is important.' he thought.

"A circle represents eternity. For example, when looking at a square you can easily pick an edge to start at, and that same edge will be where you end at when tracing it. When you look at a circle, there is no specific starting point and no specific ending point. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded in affirmation. There was no beginning; there was no end.

"In common fuuinjutsu, circles were rarely used because of that philosophy. 'If there is no end, then will not our energy diminish endlessly, until we ourselves meet our end?' And it was true, because their chakra would be drained until there was nothing left; that was the common outcome when someone attempted using circles. But, the Yondaime used the same thought pattern, and completely (and secretly) turned fuuinjutsu on its heels." Yuugao explained further.

"Furthermore, there is the paradox of no beginning and no end. Everything must begin, and everything must end. That is life. Circles must be drawn, and wherever they begin, that is where they must end. In the end, eternity is just a word; it can not exist in real life. Now, relating this to common fuuinjutsu, in order for the _control symbol_- I'm assuming you know what that is." Yuugao interrupted herself. Naruto nodded once more.

"It's the most important part of any seal. The seal requires the control symbol in order to function." Naruto explained.

"Correct." Yuugao said, "But, it's also the weakest symbol in a seal. It is not self-supporting, and the only way it will survive is with the support of the other symbols which are more powerful. However, include no control symbol, and the seal will just fall apart. The idea is very much like chakra control. Now, as I was saying, in order for the control symbol to function, it needs the support of the other symbols in the seal. They provide the power, and the control directs it accordingly. Thus, the seal will work for as long as there is chakra in the system. Now, in the style of fuuinjutsu that I am teaching you, the only symbols used are the control symbol and circle. But, there is one very important question: how are circles used?"

Naruto waited for Yuugao to answer, but realized that she was waiting for him to answer. He racked his brain for a suitable answer, and he got it.

"Eternity _does_ exist in real life, and it's not even a circle." Naruto said, realizing what Yuugao was trying to tell him.

"Oh? And what is it?" Yuugao asked, smirking back at him.

"Time. When you think about it, there was no way that time can begin. If we say time began, then what was before time? Only more time. And even after we die, time will continue to exist. But time isn't circular, because it doesn't overlap itself. It will continue on forever." Naruto said confidently. His confidence only went up when Yuugao smiled.

"Almost. Time is not the perfect example, but it will suffice. Now, ignoring the fact that time does not operate in a circular pattern, we can still explain eternity through it. When looking at time, you can see that time that has passed by no longer exists. What was once this minute, is now one minute ago. That one minute existed, but is no longer accessible, meaning that from now on, it does not exist nor will it ever exist again. Do you understand?" Yuugao looked at him.

Naruto frowned in concentration.

Yuugao smiled at his plight. This theory was extremely difficult to grasp for most adults let alone a seven year old child.

"But, if time isn't circular, then how can we use circles in seals?" Naruto asked.

"This is extremely difficult, Uzumaki-san. Perhaps we should just leave the theory until you are older, and just skip to the application." Yuugao said. Genius or not, these were advanced ways of thinking. For Uzumaki Naruto to already know as much as he did was extraordinary, but this would be a bit too advanced even for him.

"No, I understand what you mean about time. But time isn't circular, but we want to use it because it represents eternity. We can't draw a never ending line in a seal, that's why we use circles. So how do we apply that concept to circles?" Naruto said.

Yuugao smiled, and inwardly sighed.

'I really should stop underestimating him. But… I never expected him to understand. I wanted to test his intelligence, but he understood it even better than I did when I first studied it, and he's only seven!'

"The best way to explain it is to think of how shinobi use chakra over a given amount of time. For example, think of the _Katon:_ _Housenka no Jutsu_, which fires out multiple fireballs. When a shinobi spits out these fireballs, they fly in one direction; straight at the direction the shinobi aimed for. When using this jutsu, a shinobi must concentrate their chakra to form in short bursts in order to form fireballs, or else the technique would backfire. As the chakra moves over a distance, it exists at one point for one instance of time, before moving on. Because the path of the fireballs is a straight line, they will continue to go straight and disperse upon contact. But, if we somehow changed this path to be circular, then the fireball would move in a circular path, and would, theoretically, continue moving in the circle until interrupted or until the chakra dies out." Yuugao continued to explain, "Do you understand now, Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto closed his eyes and scrunched his face in thought.

"Call me Naruto." he muttered, absentmindedly.

"Ah-" Yuugao was at a loss of words. Her mouth was open as if to speak, but no words would come.

'Is he beginning to accept me already?' she was thinking. She shut her mouth, and regarded his pondering face.

His face was slightly tanned which was rather rare to see in Konoha. His eyes, though she couldn't see them at the moment, were an astonishing cerulean. He looked very much like a younger, tanner Yondaime Hokage with whiskers, Yuugao noted. Six whisker-like marks adorned his face, three on both cheeks. She looked closely at his whiskers, and regarded that to a stranger, they would seem drawn on. Yet as she looked closely, there were grooves in his skin where the marks seemed drawn, though, strangely, they didn't seem as evident on his face as they as they had prior to the Forbidden Scroll fiasco. These were no doubt the result of having the Kyuubi sealed in him.

Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he grinned. Yuugao, to her credit, didn't react this time. She continued to look at him.

"Got it!" he said.

Yuugao raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Would you care to explain?" she asked, amused.

"The circle we draw is the path; the power for the control symbol is our chakra. As our chakra will continue to go in a circular motion, the control symbol will continue to sustain itself using our chakra as a medium."

Yuugao sighed.

"Well, you've effectively just shaved off a lot of lessons, Naruto-san." Then she smiled softly. "Well, at least now we can go straight to the fun stuff."

Naruto grinned back at her. And, he oddly found that he really didn't have to force it.

'She's not so bad. I feel as if… I feel as if I can trust her.' he thought, strangely happy.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Naruto learned many different things from Yuugao concerning fuuinjutsu. Yuugao would meet him once or twice a week to teach him different aspects, and he would be given the whole week to try to learn whatever lesson she would try to teach.

To Naruto's frustration and joy, these lessons were anything but easy. It would usually take him until just before the next lesson to learn what he was supposed. Yuugao, while not an especially harsh teacher, was very expectant and demanding. But Naruto, instead of resenting it, embraced the challenge and worked diligently to learn everything she taught.

However, the pressure and frustration was building up. For one thing, Ichiraku was receiving many customers, thanks to Yuugao's help. But because of the sudden influx of customers, Naruto rarely got a chance to eat there, let alone drop by for a chat. He also rarely saw Ayame anymore. Having to juggle school and working in the stand with her father, Ayame had no time to just lay down with him on the grass and gaze at the clouds like she used to, or go for a run around in the parks and generally play around like siblings would. Granted, from what he observed, most siblings were at each other's throats, but that was irrelevant.

Meanwhile, to Yuugao's joy, it seemed that she and Naruto got closer with every lesson she gave. She could now say his name informally in front of him without any awkwardness on either part, and Naruto had even once called her Yuugao-neechan absentmindedly, though he didn't realize it.

The Sandaime Hokage had given her three months leave from ANBU missions upon her request. She confided to her leader the intentions that she had, and he allowed her the extension (depending on injuries, high level shinobi received a certain amount of time for healing and recuperation, as well as training time to get back in shape before taking more high level missions).

The thought of turning to another for help was rare for many shinobi, but what many shinobi didn't realize was that aside from managing the village, the Hokage was someone they could turn to in times of strife. The Hokage would naturally be obliged to give an ear to a shinobi with a problem; a Hokage was someone that each and every shinobi should be able to turn to. The Sandaime Hokage of Konoha was an old and experienced leader, and so he could offer many different types of advice to ailing shinobi. However, despite this, many shinobi still avoided his help, lest he think them weak. Yuugao was one of the few who could throw away her pride and go to him in her times of need.

Few people were skilled enough to truly hide their intentions from the Sandaime upon close scrutiny. Yuugao, despite having learned to be as emotionless as possible in the ANBU, was not an exception. It surprised her that Gensei could have done that, but his skills _were_ geared towards deception, considering that he was a spy. However, Yuugao suspected that there was more to it than that.

Gensei's real intention was to steal the forbidden scroll. If he had been a half-wit spy, he would've requested to guard the scroll. Of course, he was not stupid. A true spy disguised his lies in truths. Gensei had truthfully not intended to harm Naruto (until Naruto stabbed him in the back, pun intended). Yuugao doubted that anyone looking to pass on their skills wouldn't want Naruto as their student. That is, anyone that didn't know or didn't care about the Kyuubi. Naruto was an extraordinary student that picked up things with the speed of a Sharingan. It was a very satisfactory feeling to have such excelling students.

The other factor was Naruto himself. She knew that it was probably one of the many regrets of the Sandaime that weighed heavily on his mind. The abhorrence of the demon container was common among civilians and shinobi alike. Yuugao herself had been one of them not too long ago, disgusted as she was to admit it. But there really was nothing that the Sandaime could do. He had prevented physical harm to come to Naruto, but he could not force anyone to like him. This was probably the reason that the Sandaime had allowed Naruto to be supervised by an almost complete stranger. And perhaps the saddest thing of all was the likeliness that Naruto could have had a better life on the run with the spy rather than in the village.

Yuugao swore to rectify that.

Considering the nature of shinobi, Yuugao was supposed to be a heartless tool wielded to maim and kill. This ideal existed across the shinobi nations and in Konoha as well. Yuugao however, had her own ideals; she had been a naïve genin at the time, but she had once sworn to never become a heartless killer. She had wanted to walk down the path where she could keep her heart, where she could keep her love for her fellow human while still being a shinobi. It wasn't an easy ideal to live by, but anything that was worth something in life was never easy to maintain. Staying in the ANBU, where all of the shinobi shielded their hearts and were supposed to be essentially cold blooded killers, was one of the hardest things Yuugao had done. She hadn't escaped it completely. Much to her dismay, she found it hard to truly interact with other people after joining up. But she hadn't lost herself completely. She still cared for her fellow shinobi, her team. And since her life had been saved by Naruto, she had been trying her hardest to become what she once was.

And that boy, Naruto. He was _intelligent_. He was _genius_. The rate at which he picked up fuuinjutsu was nothing short of miraculous. Yuugao herself was considered to be a genius at the art (within special circles, of course), and even she couldn't hold a candle to some of the legendary shinobi, such as the Legendary Three, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, and, of course, the Yondaime Hokage. Naruto was half her age when she first started picking up fuuinjutsu, and she was sure that given a few years, he would be at a level beyond even her! Yuugao wasn't sure if the boy was made for the art, or if the art was made for the boy. His progress was spectacular, and Yuugao felt very proud of him.

One thing that did bother her, outside of Naruto's fuuinjutsu training that is, was his lack of a social life. Never once did she see him with friends his own age. The only child that she had seen Naruto ever interact with was Ayame, and though Yuugao could see how much Naruto truly loved and cared for Ayame (something she hoped to gain for herself), but not everyone important in his life should be as close as a brother or sister. There was an importance to friends, to comrades. Konoha highly emphasized teamwork for a reason.

And the best solution that Yuugao could see? The Ninja Academy.

* * *

"Naruto!"

Naruto jerked awake at the pounding at his door, disoriented at the sudden wake-up call. Shaking the sleep away, Naruto rushed to the door, still being pounded upon by Ayame.

When he opened it, a teary-eyed Ayame rushed at him and gathered him into a desperate hug, surprising the blond.

"Ayame-neechan?"

"You… you have to come quick!" Ayame told him, despair in her voice. Naruto's heart lurched at the sound.

"What's wrong?" he asked urgently. His mind went a million miles a second, thinking up situations upon situations of misfortunes that may have befallen upon the girl. He had to forcibly clear his head to focus on the girl's next words.

"Tousan… he collapsed! He's in the hospital!"

* * *

Chapter 02 – The Circle – Terminating

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

So many things were cut from this chapter, and really, this arc. Those that have read this before might recall a character named Riyoku Daijin, a greedy businessman that tried to trick Ichiraku because of an old grudge. He's completely gone.

In this version, Yuugao uses a different approach when it came to befriending Naruto. Instead of making him feel obligated, she just… let him know the truth.

In the end, these rewrites are a mix of what I had before and what I changed or added now. I hope it blends well enough, because I believe my writing _has_ evolved since I first wrote these earlier chapters.

These chapters do feel much shorter though, don't they? But I think that they're better. I removed a lot of things that didn't make sense, as well as a lot of things that I thought were quite boring as well.

Anyway, read on! The (updated) arc finishes next chapter!

knuckz


	5. 03: Saving Ramen

Come Full Circle  
by: knuckz

* * *

Summary: Ninjas use taijutsu to beat their opponents down, genjutsu to disillusion them, ninjutsu to destroy them or heal them, and weaponry for quick kills. Some specialize in specific areas, and exceed in that talent, while others keep a general base in all aspects. As such, there are general ninja's and nin-, tai-, and genjutsu masters respectively. This was before Uzumaki Naruto became a ninja. For the first time, there will be a fuuinjutsu specialist.

* * *

"blah" – talking

'blah' – thinking

* * *

Chapter 03 – Saving Ramen - Commencing

* * *

"I'm fine, Naruto." Teuchi told the blond gruffly as he went about setting up the stand for the day. His collapse hadn't been too serious so the doctor had already given him leave, with a warning to take it easy.

"But you should take it easy." Naruto said worriedly, "The doctor said that it's unhealthy to keep working yourself to exhaustion."

Ayame tentatively turned to Yuugao.

"Umm, Yuugao-neechan, exactly what do you have in mind to save the stand?" Ayame asked her. Yuugao looked at the girl momentarily, slightly surprised at the familiarity she was showing before replying.

"Your father and I had struck up a deal." Yuugao told her, "What the stand needed was something different, something new that would attract customers again."

"I came up with the idea of ramen to go." Yuugao continued, "Something light, easy to make and eat, cheap to buy, and something that customers could take with them rather than having to sit in and eat."

"There isn't a lot of room in the stand for a large volume of customers, and that's why you were losing a lot of them. They didn't want to wait for so long. With ramen to go, they have a cheap alternative." Yuugao told her, "With ramen to go, you'll receive those customers back. I've been advertising this new product, putting up posters and handing out flyers when I can."

"There still remains one problem." Teuchi said, giving them a knowing look, "I can't handle so many customers by myself in my condition, even with your help, Ayame."

'He can't handle so many people by himself now that he's so weak, and Ayame-neechan has school. But even working together, there's little they can do.' Naruto thought.

Naruto gripped the top of his head in frustration. Teuchi, Ayame, and Yuugao regarded him sadly. Even in the hands of defeat, he still tried to keep going.

'The one thing they need most is more workers, but how would they get some at such short notice? They'd need so many extra hands and… _wait_.' Naruto paused. He removed his hands from his head, and looked at them with wide eyes.

'Gensei. Thanks, dude.'

And he grinned.

The three other occupants inside the stand looked at him expectantly, waiting for his suggestion. Yuugao wondered what kind of plan the intelligent blond had cooked up.

"Teuchi-occhan. You need some extra helping hands. Teach me to make ramen." Naruto said with a confident smirk on his face.

"What are you on about Naruto? I don't have enough time to teach you to make ramen at the Ichiraku standard, and even you won't be enough help." Teuchi told him. Instead of being downcast, Naruto smirked even more.

'I'm more than enough." he said, before making a cross-shaped seal with his hands. Yuugao glanced at him, surprised beyond belief.

'_He knows this jutsu!_'

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

In a poof of smoke, four other Narutos appeared beside him, two on each side.

"I can be as many workers as you want me to be." Naruto said. Teuchi looked at the display with a wondrous expression on his face.

Ayame poked at one of the clones, surprised at their solid state.

"They're all solid?"

The clone poked her back, and stuck his tongue out at her. She harrumphed.

"That… that is amazing, Naruto. But, I still don't have the time to teach you how to make ramen." Teuchi said.

"Everything that the clones learn, I learn automatically. So if you taught me and four clones how to make ramen, I could learn it in one-fifth of the time." Naruto explained, "And I'm pretty sure that I can make up to fifty clones."

Yuugao spoke up.

"Naruto-kun, exactly what do you mean by that? Learning what your clones learn?" she asked. Yuugao knew the technique, but she didn't know what he was talking about.

"I noticed it the first time I used Kage Bunshin successfully. Gensei had taught me, and after my clones were dispelled, for some reason, I remembered looking at him from five different angles at the same time. It seemed a little weird at the time, but I forgot about it until now, considering what happened. But when I think about it, it makes sense. Kage Bunshin works by splitting your chakra. When it dispels, your chakra comes back, and everything it experienced mentally will be as if you experienced it." Naruto explained.

'Now that I think about it, it is true. All those times that I used Kage Bunshin, I can remember doing things twice. He has an extraordinarily detailed mind, if he can notice something as small as looking at someone from different perspectives.' Yuugao thought feeling amazed at the revelation.

"Wait, did you say you can make up to fifty clones?" Yuugao asked him, as Naruto's clones dispelled.

"Yeah, I have a lot of chakra for some reason." Naruto said, frowning softly.

Yuugao immediately understood why that was.

_Jinchuuriki_.

"Hmph, well, if you're so keen on helping then let's get started right away." Teuchi said, "Ayame, you can help too."

Ayame nodded determinedly. She would do her part to save her stand.

"Come on, Naruto. Let's get started." she said.

"Just a sec, Ayame-neechan." Naruto replied. He looked at Yuugao expectantly. Yuugao was confused for a second, but then she understood what he wanted. Or she thought she did.

"Oh, don't worry about our lessons. We can put them on hold. Besides, with the Kage Bunshin technique, we'll be able to blaze through our lessons very quickly." she told him, but he continued to look at her expectantly.

"What?" Now Yuugao was thoroughly confused.

'What else does he want, if not… oh no. _Oh no_.'

"I… uhh…" Yuugao desperately thought of an excuse, but Naruto thrust out his lower lip, forming an irresistible pout on his face.

'Not the pout!'

"Fine…" Yuugao said, sighing deeply. She turned towards Teuchi.

"I can be of assistance to you as well, Ichiraku-san. Please allow me to help." Yuugao said respectfully.

Inwardly, Yuugao was thinking, 'The things I do for you, Naruto-kun.'

Teuchi looked at her uncomfortably.

"Yeah, come on old man! Let her help!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Okay." Teuchi said gruffly. Naruto laughed and jumped at Yuugao, engulfing her in a hug. Yuugao froze momentarily before her mind caught up to her, and she quickly hugged him back before he could back away.

"OKAY! LET'S GET STARTED!" Naruto shouted, breaking away from Yuugao.

Yuugao was dazed, and a strange lopsided grin adorned her pretty, feminine face. This was the first time that Naruto had ever hugged her, and it felt wonderful; like she had achieved a great accomplishment. Teuchi smiled softly at her expression.

"Now, before we get started, I'll have to let you know that you'll have to be here early every day. I get up at 6:00 AM sharp each day to prepare. Can you manage it?" Teuchi asked Naruto and Yuugao.

"6:00 AM!" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief. Teuchi sighed deeply.

"Okay, Naruto, you'll be staying with us for as long as you are helping. Uzuki-san, I believe that I can count on you to be here on time each morning? Or would you like to lodge with us as well?" Teuchi addressed Yuugao.

"I wouldn't want to impose." Yuugao said, but Teuchi waved it off.

"Nonsense, we'd love to have you. Besides, it would make it much easier on us all if you could be on hand on short notice." Teuchi said.

"Thank you, Ichiraku-san." Yuugao said, bowing formally. She knocked Naruto on the head with her fist, before pulling him into a bow.

"_Be polite!_" she hissed at her student.

"Ah, no need to be so formal Uzuki-san." Teuchi interrupted.

"Yeah! It's just old man Ichiraku!" Naruto chirped up, making Yuugao sighed at his lack of manners. She then proceeded to make the same seal that Naruto had made earlier, and formed her chakra to make two Kage Bunshin.

The two extra Yuugaos left the premises, sprinting off in different directions. Yuugao explained that they would gather clothes for her and Naruto to the confused party.

"Very well. Uzuki-san, you may stay in our guest room. As for you Naruto, you can stay-"

"With me!" Ayame spoke up, grinning.

"What, no way! I'm too old to sleep with _you_, Ayame-neechan." Naruto exclaimed.

"Aww, you'll never be too old to sleep with your Big Sister Ayame!" she replied, which set Naruto off in another rant.

"You just want to use me as your teddy bear again, don't you!"

Yuugao smiled at the two bickering children, feeling as she hadn't ever felt in her entire life. As an only child, she had always wished for siblings and now she felt like she had them. Ichiraku Ayame was already looking up to her as a big sister. And Naruto?

If her life was in constant darkness, he was her only sunshine.

* * *

Teuchi and Ayame had combined their efforts to teach Naruto and Yuugao how to make ramen. The student and sensei pair had both used the Shadow Clone Technique to quicken the pace at which they learned to make ramen, and they had accomplished it in record time. It took about an hour of teaching, and in another hour, Naruto and Yuugao condensed over two days of experimenting through the use of Kage Bunshin. While they weren't quite at the level of Teuchi or Ayame, who had been making ramen for many years, Teuchi had deemed their ramen skills acceptable for Ichiraku standards.

Currently, a group of Narutos were setting up the stand, while another Naruto was talking with Yuugao. Really, she had no idea which Naruto was the real one, as none of the Narutos were bossing the others around. They all acted identical, and either when they spoke, they all spoke in unison, or none spoke in unison. He really knew how to use this technique properly, and Yuugao was glad.

The good thing about Kage Bunshin was that they knew everything that you did up until the point that they were formed.

Ayame had already left for school accompanied by a Yuugao clone (she hadn't wanted to go, but Teuchi had insisted, saying that he already had an army of ramen makers at his disposal), and Teuchi was currently getting ready for the day.

The purple-headed beauty was listening to the cute blond boy's ideas for fuuinjutsu applications. He always had some ridiculous ideas; Yuugao had learned early on that he was very imaginative. He usually gave up when she shot down his more ridiculous ideas, but today, he seemed very keen on this particular idea.

Circular seals were meant to be easy-make fast action seals, but what Naruto was suggesting would revolutionize the art of fuuinjutsu. The only downside to it was that it was practically impossible to accomplish.

The major aspect that the traditional and Yondaime-improved styles of fuuinjutsu shared was that both required the use of ink. Seals had to be drawn no matter what; it didn't necessarily have to be on paper scrolls. Paper scrolls were more widely used because they were compact, and had even surface areas, and were therefore easier to use than, say, the terrain.

Naruto's idea was to draw both the circles and control symbols using ones chakra.

Yuugao had explained to him the absurdity of it. Perhaps someone with the chakra control of a medic-nin might be able to draw a circle with their chakra, but to draw something as complex as a control symbol with just chakra required chakra control that even medics didn't have.

Naruto countered with the idea that someone could force their chakra to form the shape of the control symbol. Control symbols didn't have to be remarkably accurate; that was one of the things that made the circular method of fuuinjutsu so much quicker. Sure, the more precise, the better the effect, but it wasn't necessary.

"Naruto-kun, while you may have a point there, forcing your chakra into a particular shape isn't an easy task. The first problem is that chakra control is useless if you're trying to force your chakra into shapes. The second problem is that even if you did force your chakra to make a seal, it would just fade away. Chakra doesn't stay in a single form for very long. It could take hundreds of years to accomplish something like this." Yuugao explained soothingly. Naruto grew silent at her explanation, and Yuugao felt guilty for disproving his idea.

She didn't know what it was about him, but she always hated to prove his ideas faulty. As an ANBU, Yuugao was taught to always think logically. Naruto's ideas were contrary to logic, yet Yuugao could not help but believe in him, especially when he was so passionate about it.

"No." Naruto suddenly spoke up. Yuugao gave him a questioning look.

"This idea, I won't give it up. I don't care if it takes me a thousand years to do it. I'm getting this feeling; I can't disregard this. I don't care if I have to train with Kage Bunshin every day to do it, but I have to accomplish this." Naruto said, suddenly determined. Yuugao smiled at his sudden determination.

'Where does he get it, his fortitude?' she thought to herself. She had never seen anything like it before, such a resolve. It was just there, and Yuugao felt as if she could draw strength from it.

Yuugao's relationship with Naruto had skyrocketed in the two months that she had spent teaching him, and though it had reached the point where she truly felt that they were like brother and sister, it was still slightly standoffish. Every day that she had spent with him, whether it was teaching him fuuinjutsu, or just spending time with him casually, she felt a feeling inside her grow; a certain fondness, but she hadn't really identified it. While Yuugao had strived to be a big sister for Naruto, one that he could rely on for things that he couldn't turn to Ayame for, there was still something that she hadn't realized. To truly be to him what she wanted, like what Ayame was, she had to love him. And she found that she did. And so, Yuugao suddenly knew what she had to do.

"Very well." Yuugao replied, kneeling in front of him. Naruto blinked in surprise. Yuugao smiled sincerely at him, putting all her heart into it; in that one moment, _for_ this one moment, she threw away everything that being ANBU taught her, that being a kunoichi taught her, and as a human put all her heart into it, all the love she could muster.

Yuugao put her hands on his shoulders, and said, "I believe in you. I believe you can do it Naruto, and if you need me I'll be there for you every step of the way."

Yuugao leaned forward, slightly blushing, and placed a kiss on his forehead. She looked at him lovingly as he blinked owlishly.

"I haven't said it before, but I'm proud of you. As a teacher… and as someone that loves you." Yuugao told him, and she meant every word.

'She…' Naruto couldn't finish his thought. She said that she loved him. She _loved_ him. As far as he knew, the only person that had ever loved him was Ayame. And Naruto remembered all the things that Yuugao did, everything that he thought was part of a plan, of an ulterior motive, something that she wanted from him. Now, all of her actions made a bit more sense. It wasn't about what she wanted from him. It was about what she wanted to be for him.

But could he…? Last time… he thought she loved him, so he loved her… but she… would Yuugao be the same? There were so many similarities. No, Yuugao was different. Yuugao wouldn't hurt him. Yuugao saved his life, she didn't try to take it.

He could trust her. He _would_ trust her.

"Yuugao-neechan." Naruto said. He found that his eyes were suspiciously wet.

'I love you too.' Naruto didn't say. As much as he wanted them to, he found that they would not form. But it seemed that Yuugao understood what was left unsaid, as she wrapped him up tightly in her arms, and clung to him desperately as if he were her last lifeline.

And Naruto held onto her, conveying through his grip what he could not say.

It seemed like hours that they held on to each other, tears streaming silently down their faces. They were brother and sister in all but blood; yet blood couldn't mean less.

Teuchi's voice called to them from the stand, indicating their first customers. The newly-found siblings broke apart to go help.

"Come on, Yuugao-neechan! I can't wait to see you in that hat!" Naruto said, running off to start up the first batch. Yuugao smiled at him as he ran off, wiping the excess tears from her eyes.

'Uzumaki Naruto… my _little brother_.' Yuugao thought to herself, feeling exultant. She had never felt so terrific; it was as if all her previous accomplishments, making genin, making chuunin, making ANBU, were worthless in light of this new one. She felt truly strong; she felt as if she truly understood what the Hokage meant when he talked about 'Will of Fire'.

It was then when she recalled Naruto's words.

"Hat?"

* * *

Naruto lay on the couch, breathing heavily. It had been a long two days, and he had expended most of his chakra creating Kage Bunshin. He was waiting for Yuugao, who was currently taking a shower. Ayame sat beside him, already showered, but quite tired herself. She had to pitch in at the stand after school, and even then they barely came out on top.

Yuugao certainly hadn't spared any expense on advertising the stand.

Naruto was pushed to his limits for the second day. Naruto was young, and he had enough chakra control to make the regular Bunshin technique, but it still wasn't all that great, considering the amount of chakra that he had. He must have made close to a hundred clones on the second day alone, really pushing his chakra and chakra control to his limits.

Yuugao had it much easier, seeing as she had excellent control, and wasted virtually zero chakra in making her clones, meaning that they last a long time. She was a trained shinobi as well, so she her movements were much more efficient than his, and she just seemed better at making ramen than he was. Naruto claimed that it was probably because she was a girl, and then both Ayame and Yuugao had smacked him on his head, much to the amusement of the customers.

"Naruto-kun, go ahead." Yuugao snapped him from his thoughts. She was wearing regular civilian clothes with a flower pattern (purple to match her hair), and her purple hair was wrapped up in a towel. Even she looked slightly tired.

Naruto sighed, and reluctantly got up from the comfy couch to take a shower. At least the hot water would be comfortable.

Ayame smirked at his weariness, no doubt having mischievous thoughts.

"You seem tired, Naruto-chan. Want me to give you a bath like old times?" she said, anticipating his reaction. Naruto flinched. He tried to leave before Yuugao spoke, but he was too slow.

"You used to bathe him?" Yuugao asked, clearly amused. As Ayame relayed the old story of how she hid Naruto in her room when they were younger to Yuugao, Naruto's face reddened in embarrassment as he ran to the bath, covering his ears.

'Might as well get used to it.' he thought grimly, as he heard Yuugao and Ayame laughing together at, no doubt, his expense, 'With two big sisters now, I'll be embarrassed forever.'

* * *

'Damn, damn, DAMN!' Naruto thought to himself frantically, as he and his Kage Bunshin worked feverishly on making several different types of ramen simultaneously. Naruto poured the noodles into a disposable container and snapped a lid labeled 'Ichiraku Miso Ramen' on top.

"MISO!" he called out, placing the cup on a table at the side. Yuugao (or a clone) grabbed the cup and gave it to a customer who showed his ticket for miso ramen.

Teuchi had suggested the idea of take-out ramen, mainly because they would be unable to accommodate every customer in their little stand. Thankfully, almost every customer seemed to like the take-out ramen, so it was a win-win situation.

Therefore, Yuugao (or a clone) was acting as a runner in case they needed to buy more disposable containers, and there was also a Naruto clone making labels for all the different types of ramen that was offered at Ichiraku.

However, at the moment, it really did seem like an uphill battle. Both Naruto and Yuugao were starting to run out of chakra. Teuchi was even more tired than them, having to constantly monitor the soup. Ayame was still at school as Teuchi had been adamant about her not skipping out on school.

They needed more people.

Naruto closed his eyes in frustration. Where would they be able to get someone on such short notice? It seemed impossible, but it had to be done.

'Ah, what the hell.'

Naruto created a Kage Bunshin to take his place, and staggered to the front, looking around at the street. He spotted a man who seemed to be around Yuugao's age, and, feeling desperate, called out. He was dressed in a typical Konoha shinobi uniform complete with vest, signifying that he was at the very least a chuunin. Oddly, he was not paying any attention to his surroundings, as his only eye was reading a book. His other eye was covered up by his official Konoha hitai-ate, which signified his supposed allegiance to Konoha. He also had a mask covering the rest of his face.

"Hey you!" he yelled, pointing at the man. The man in question looked up from his book at the shout, as he spotted Naruto. He looked behind him, thinking that perhaps Naruto was yelling at someone behind him, but Naruto interrupted him.

"You with the weird haircut!"

This time, the one-eyed man pointed to himself unsurely as if to ask 'me?', and Naruto affirmed his unspoken question.

"Yeah, you! Come here, and put that book away!" Naruto ordered, and the man surprisingly obeyed, placing the book in his kunai pouch.

"Yes? What do you want?" the man said, looking at Naruto. He didn't show any signs of knowing whom he was talking to.

"Are you looking for a job?" Naruto asked him. The man lazily regarded him for a second before answering.

"No…" the man started, but Naruto interrupted him saying, "Okay, you're hired!"

The silver-haired man blinked, before shrugging and following Naruto into the stand. There he observed the several solid Naruto clones slaving away at making some ramen, and a few Yuugao clones helping out here or there. When Yuugao (or a clone) spotted the man, her eyes widened in surprise, and she blushed from embarrassment.

"Yuugao-neechan, I got someone to work for us!" Naruto informed her (or her clone).

"Yuugao-neechan?" the man spoke in a questioning voice. Yuugao put a hand to her face.

"Oi oi, what's your name?" Naruto asked the one-eyed man. The man looked from Yuugao to him before replying, "Hatake Kakashi."

"Okay, Hatake, I don't like you, and you don't like me but-" Kakashi interrupted Naruto's speech.

"Why don't you like me? I'm sure you'd like me if you took the chance to get to know me." Kakashi remarked innocently. Naruto frowned at him, before opening his mouth to reply, but Yuugao interrupted them.

"No! Please don't! Kakashi-senpai, let's not do this now. If you're really going to help, then please use your copying skills to learn to make ramen and help out. If not, then we are too busy!" she said to Kakashi, before barking at Naruto, "Naruto! Stay focused!"

Naruto blanched, hastily creating another Kage Bunshin which ran off to replace one that had dispelled.

"Well, how can I refuse my cute subordinate?" Kakashi said, chuckling as he pulled up his hitai-ate and regarded two pairs of Yuugao's making the different kinds of ramen that Ichiraku had on its menu. Naruto frowned at him again, before pointing at him.

"I bet you just want to see Yuugao-neechan work in that outfit, you pervert!" Naruto exclaimed, suddenly. Yuugao bashed his head with her fist, telling him to go back to work and Naruto went back, rubbing his head and muttering all the way, but Kakashi did notice her give him a suspicious glance.

'She believed him.' he thought, sweat-dropping. He went forward to wash his hands and help make some ramen (he had learned to make several different kinds of ramen at a glance), 'Though I've never seen her so… open. The only person that could have done that would be Naruto. He really is his mother's son.'

Naruto watched Kakashi as he made a single Kage Bunshin and approached the back. His jaw then dropped in amazement as Kakashi's hands blurred and a second later there were five orders of ramen all packed and ready to go.

'What the _hell!_'

The other Kakashi went over towards Teuchi, who blinked in confusion as Kakashi basically took over and starting making ramen of the same quality that he made it at over three times the speed.

Yuugao shook her head in amusement. Kakashi was the same from when she knew him; that was for sure. Hatake Kakashi, the famous (and in some cases infamous) Copy Ninja who had copied over a thousand techniques. Yuugao had known him from when she was a rookie ANBU; he had often been her squad leader, which was odd because he wasn't an ANBU at the time. No, he had been squad leader even though he was a jounin, but even then any teams he led never failed missions. He was often labeled the best jounin in all of Konoha, and Yuugao found no fault in that. Kakashi truly was on another level, even without the use of his implanted Sharingan. Something that irked the Uchiha clan to no end.

Speaking of which, Yuugao wondered what the Uchiha clan (or the remnants, rather) would think of their prized doujutsu being used to make ramen. She found it to be terribly amusing.

Naruto, on the other hand, watched Kakashi in awe.

'I sure chose a hell of a guy.' he thought to himself.

* * *

Needless to say, with the help of the awe inspiring ramen-making skills of Hatake Kakashi, the rest of the day had went by much easier than before.

As they closed up the stand, everyone was all smiles (nobody could really tell with Kakashi), though they were still tired. Kakashi, by whom the day had been saved, was thanked by everyone, even a reluctant Naruto, who had said that he was an okay guy, for a pervert. Of course, even though both Yuugao and Teuchi had told him that Kakashi was trustworthy, Naruto still wouldn't let him near Ayame.

"Are you going to stay for dinner, Kakashi?" Teuchi asked him. Teuchi had known Kakashi since he was a little boy (he was actually still a jounin at the time) of twelve. It was hard not to as Kakashi was the Yondaime Hokage's student. And Minato was constantly at Ichiraku because Kushina was always at Ichiraku. Kakashi had been quite the irritating boy when he was younger, but he had relaxed and Teuchi was glad for that.

"No, no. I should be getting home. It's been a long day, and I want to read some- umm… I want to get to sleep a little early tonight." Kakashi had changed what he was going to say when he saw a strange glint in Yuugao's eyes. What was it with women and Icha Icha?

"Okay." said Naruto, "We open at 7:00 AM, so you'd better be here, okay!"

Kakashi smiled, and waved his hand.

"Sure thing, boss. _Later_!" he said, before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Yuugao smiled in amusement. Elite jounin or not, he sure was an amusing man. Unfortunately for Yuugao, she did not remember Kakashi's lack of punctuality.

* * *

"WHERE THE HELL IS HE!" Naruto screamed. He was, of course, referring to Kakashi. Who was two hours late.

Yuugao groaned.

She had totally forgotten about this habit of his. He had always been late to team meetings (but never missions), though no shinobi that knew of his status had the guts to tell him off. At first, she was also scared of telling him off, but after working with him for so long she had eventually gotten used to it.

Thankfully, there was nowhere near as much rush as the first three days. Of course, that still didn't mean that it was particularly easy for them, but Naruto had assured everyone that most of these customers probably just saw the commotion and had decided to eat there to see what the fuss was about. The business would die down to respectable levels; not too low, but enough that Teuchi would be able to handle the stand on his own without suffering financially.

And with Naruto's new invention, it would be very easy for him.

The previous night, Naruto had designed a seal that would basically rotate the contents of any single container in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation. He then applied those seals to Teuchi's giant pots in which the broth for the ramen was made, and thus, the self-stirring pots had been made. Teuchi had been so amazed that he had promised Naruto a month's worth of free ramen. Naruto had been delighted at the thought of free ramen for a month (as had Yuugao, who had begun fearing for her money). But Yuugao was happy that Naruto had taken her teachings to heart.

She hadn't really taught him the common style of fuuinjutsu, instead focusing on the circular method. But Naruto had taken what she taught him, and applied it using the regular method of fuuinjutsu, which lasted much, _much_ longer than the circular method. It was quite an extraordinary feat for a seven-year-old and though she resented herself for it, Yuugao felt slightly jealous at Naruto's aptitude at the art.

It was unnatural how quickly Naruto had taken to the art. Quite like a fish to water.

"Oi, Naruto, all the customers are gone. Take the front stand me." Teuchi called, as a woman who had her purple hair tied in a rough ponytail sat down and placed her head in her arms on the counter. Naruto saluted Teuchi in a joking matter, before going to the front.

"Can I take your order?" Naruto asked politely, feeling slightly nervous. This woman seemed familiar, but he wasn't too sure as he had not seen her face.

"Gimme a miso ramen." the woman said. Her voice was slightly muffled because her head was in her arms, but Naruto recognized it, as he started shaking horribly.

No, it wasn't _her_… it couldn't be her…

Yuugao looked at him in confusion. She had never seen Naruto in such a traumatized state before, even during the Gensei incident.

"Oi, I said I want a mi…so…" Mitarashi Anko lifted her head from her arms and lazily looked at the upset boy in front of her. Her eyes widened in surprise, and her jaw dropped slightly.

"_Naruto._" she whispered. Her hands shook slightly.

Naruto looked at her face with terror apparent on his face, as he yelped and staggered back, falling onto his backside. But he didn't try to get up again, as his body wouldn't stop shaking.

_StopstoppainhurtsitHURTS!_

Memories that Naruto had long buried came rushing forward at the sight of this woman in front of him; things that had he had never wanted to remember.

_She was tossing and turning in her bed, moaning in pain. Her hand was clutching a spot on her neck, near her left shoulder. She was gritting her teeth in pain as her memories consumed her. Her screams of pain had woken him, and he had sleepily gone into her room to see what was wrong._

_ "Anko-nee, wha's wrong?" a four year old Naruto asked as he rubbed his eyes sleepily._

_ "No…" she weakly moaned, "Stay away…"_

_ "Anko-nee?" Naruto said, confused. Anko was always delighted when he was around and she had always wanted to be with him as much as possible. Of course, he was a four-year-old and would often go off gallivanting alone._

_ "SEN'EIJASHU!"_

_ Snakes came from the darkness, lashing out at him. Naruto cried out in shock and pain._

_It hurt! Why did Anko-nee hurt him! She promised! Why… so much pain! She promised that she would never hurt him! She promised that she would always love him! Why does it hurt? Why…?_

_These were the thoughts going through Naruto's mind as he passed out, dropping to the ground bleeding profusely from his neck._

_Why…?_

Why? Why was she here? She wasn't allowed to come near him, the Hokage said so!

"Naruto! I…" Anko started desperately, reaching her hand out towards him.

_Snakesbloodpainithurts!_

Naruto screamed in fright as he pushed away from her into the wall. He didn't seem to notice that he had hit the wall because he kept pushing away, desperate to put more space between him and Anko. Yuugao was by his side in an instant.

"Naruto! What's wrong!" she said, extremely worried.

'What is going on!' Yuugao yelled in her mind.

Seeing as Naruto wouldn't stop shaking or crying, Yuugao gathered him in her warm embrace, and whispered soothing words into his ears. She could feel his shaking starting to lessen.

Anko retracted her hand, as she watched the pair in front of her feeling a horrible wrench in her chest. She had hated herself ever since that night and to this day she didn't stop hating herself. Also, she had never stopped loving him, even though he didn't love her any more. It hurt her to think that, but she knew that she deserved the pain.

The Hokage had been furious with her after she had come to her senses and took Naruto to the hospital; Naruto was instantly taken from her care. She had been devastated, and tried to argue against the Sandaime's decision, but after Naruto's initial reaction to her presence she had given in. She had then promised the Hokage that she wouldn't actively try to confront Naruto and she hadn't. This was the first time that she had actually met him since the incident, though she did spy on him whenever she could. When she had heard what had happened to him by his previous caretaker, Gensei, she had been furious with both the Hokage and herself for not being there for him. But the Hokage had sharply reprimanded her and again, she let go of the issue.

After Orochimaru had left her to die, she had been distraught, but she had gone back to Konoha to serve her village and to get stronger with a new goal in mind: to kill her former master.

Sadly, only a few shinobi acknowledged her. Most of them no doubt associated her with the tainted Orochimaru (though none went so far as to provoke her). When the Kyuubi was sealed into Naruto she had sympathized with the baby, understanding the scorn that he would no doubt receive from the village. After Naruto's mother had died unexpectedly (she did not know the cause), she had thought of raising him, but decided that she was ill-prepared for raising a child. When he was older, she had caught him being kicked around by a few civilian kids and had decided then and there that she would take him in. The Hokage had understood her reasons and allowed it. And she did care for him; she loved him as if he were her son, as if he were her baby brother. The two were even somewhat alike. She was scorned by many shinobi (most civilians didn't know of her connection to Orochimaru) and he was scorned by both the shinobi and villagers alike.

It had been glorious for the time it had lasted. But she messed it up, and it would likely forever leave a hole in her heart. She loved him so much! The guilt, the shame had threatened to envelop her, but her memories kept her mostly sane and somewhat alive.

"Naru-" Anko started again, but a hand gripped her shoulder, and she whirled around only to look at a serious-faced Kakashi. He shook his head sadly and quietly said,

"I think its best that you leave now."

Anko gave Naruto one last desperate teary-eyed look, before bouncing off down the streets and across rooftops. Kakashi sighed, as he walked into the stand.

Yuugao glanced at him, clearly confused.

"You should probably take him inside, Yuugao. I can handle things here." Kakashi told her quietly. He looked sadly at Naruto, who had stopped shaking but was still in a catatonic state. Yuugao easily picked up the anguished boy and took him inside. But she did give Kakashi a momentary look before she left, no doubt wanting answers.

Kakashi sighed again. It would be a long day.

* * *

The day after the incident with Anko, Naruto had felt okay enough help out in the stand, but it really wasn't needed as the amount of customers had died down to acceptable levels for Teuchi to handle on his own.

They had celebrated of course, though it was noticeably subdued. Naruto tried to be as happy as possible, but everyone noticed how strained his grins were. It was obvious that he still remembered.

To take his mind off his bad memories, Yuugao started teaching him again, and this time she was much more active in doing so. Previously she would just give him a lesson once a week and would reluctantly leave him to his own devices (he preferred it like that), but now that their relationship and situation had changed, and she couldn't bear to leave him when he was like this.

Inwardly, she cursed Mitarashi Anko for being unable to control herself, but she did feel sorry for her. Kakashi had explained what happened, how much Anko had truly loved the boy. Yuugao couldn't help but put herself in the same situation as Anko, and she felt lost at even the thought of losing Naruto's trust.

Currently, she watched the dozens of Narutos trying to form their chakra to take the shape of a control seal. He had not forgotten his endeavor of forming seals using only his chakra. Together, they had worked on creating a control seal; basically a seal that would help to regulate chakra or in other words, artificial perfect chakra control. It wasn't easy, but between the two of them they had been able to make one.

This seal didn't exactly gift someone with perfect chakra control, but it would allow a person to keep their control perfect or near-perfect when using jutsu that required hand seals. It was very ingenious, but the seal would only work if the person was able to form it with their own chakra, making it useless otherwise. And seeing as nobody could actually force their chakra into such intricate shapes (though Yuugao did have high hopes for Naruto), not a single person could use it.

And speaking of Naruto, he had begun to use his Kage Bunshin training method almost every day, trying to force his chakra into one shape or another.

Yuugao told him to focus on simple things first, such as spheres and cubes. Then he could slowly progress onto harder things, like 2D shapes such as circles and squares, and then finally he would move onto lines and angles.

However, after watching over fifty Narutos trying to force their chakra into the shape of a sphere, Yuugao decided that he did seem lonely. While Yuugao was glad to spend time with him, she was a kunoichi, and she would have to eventually go back to her duties. And Naruto couldn't spend all his time with Ayame either, as she had school.

He needed to make friends of his own age. And to do that, Naruto needed to go to the Academy.

No matter how much more intelligent or advanced Naruto was than the other kids his own age, he was going to eventually have to work with them. It was better for him to form at least camaraderie with them, if not friendship. So Yuugao approached the topic at night, as they ate dinner in his apartment (Yuugao had all but moved in). She had cooked, but she was nothing special in the kitchen. And Naruto's idea of cooking was cooking ramen.

"Naruto-kun, do you plan on entering the Academy?" Yuugao asked offhandedly, trying to appear nonchalant. However, Naruto looked at her suspiciously.

"No." he said, after swallowing, "Gensei had told me that it would be of no use. He may have been the enemy, but it doesn't mean that he was wrong. I'll probably try to become a genin by just taking the exam."

Yuugao hummed in agreement.

"True. But there is a difference between the views of Gensei, and the practices of Konoha." Yuugao retorted.

"What do you mean, neechan?" Naruto asked.

"In all shinobi villages, teamwork is an important aspect, but Konoha emphasizes teamwork more so than most. You'll be working in teams for most of your shinobi career." Yuugao told him, hoping he would get the message she was trying to convey. She wasn't disappointed.

"You want me to make friends." Naruto said bluntly, not skipping around the topic.

"Naruto, you may know the things that are necessary to make you a skilled ninja, but there are other lessons that need to be learned. The Academy is a good resource for that. You may not learn anything that you think may be of use to you as a shinobi, but there is more to life than just serving your village. There are other important lessons for you to learn, things that I've learned from my own time there, lessons that I remember to this day." Yuugao explained. Naruto closed his eyes and put his fingers to his chin, in the traditional thinking pose.

"Okay." he agreed suddenly, "Sign me up!"

Yuugao blinked at his quick decision. She thought that it would've taken more persuading, but she was glad that he came to the decision on his own.

She smiled at him.

'You've made a good decision, Naruto.' she thought, as Naruto resumed eating his dinner.

For a long time, she had felt as if something had been missing in her life, and now that she had found it, Yuugao felt strangely… happy. She knew it. Naruto would be great one day.

And as his big sister, she would be his pillar. She would support him one hundred percent of the way.

* * *

Chapter 03 – Saving Ramen – Terminating

* * *

** Author's Notes:**

This chapter was probably the last major revision. In the following chapters, there won't be too many changes from the original works.

In this chapter, however, aside from once again editing out that business tycoon that I had brought in, I cut down on the flashback to Anko's accidental attack on Naruto. Originally, it was quite unrealistic, where she went on and on about Orochimaru this and "I hate you" that. Now, it's just, "Stay away", and SEN'EIJASHU! Much simpler, much better.

And there's more to it than what you see.

Keep on reading!

knuckz


	6. 04: Genin Uzumaki

Come Full Circle  
by: knuckz

* * *

Summary: Ninjas use taijutsu to beat their opponents down, genjutsu to disillusion them, ninjutsu to destroy them or heal them, and weaponry for quick kills. Some specialize in specific areas, and exceed in that talent, while others keep a general base in all aspects. As such, there are general ninja's and nin-, tai-, and genjutsu masters respectively. This was before Uzumaki Naruto became a ninja. For the first time, there will be a fuuinjutsu specialist.

* * *

"blah" – talking

'blah' – thinking

* * *

Chapter 04 – Genin Uzumaki - Commencing

* * *

Naruto opened his front door, curious as to who would be visiting him this late at night.

"Kaori-chan!"

The girl named Kaori gazed back at him quite morosely.

"Naruto…"

"You guys came back! How were the chuunin exams?" Naruto asked excitedly, "How did you guys do?"

Kaori didn't reply, and Naruto's excitement died down, understanding that she may not have come by with good news.

"We… we didn't make it past the second round…" Kaori told him, "And… _Naoto_…"

"Where is… where's Naoto-san?" Naruto asked the dreaded question. At hearing Naoto's name, Kaori let out a wail and flung herself onto Naruto, desperately clinging on to him.

"He's… he's gone! He's dead, and it's my fault!" Kaori cried out, sinking to her knees while clutching Naruto's orange vest. The older girl buried her face into his stomach, crying into his vest. Naruto didn't comfort her.

'He's… dead?' was all that went through Naruto's mind. He felt a deep tremor in his hands, and found that he couldn't stop them from shaking.

Naoto, as well as his two teammates were genin that were three years Naruto's senior. Naruto would be graduating this year, and he had hoped to soon take missions with his three friends.

Naruto had met Naoto during his first year of the academy, when Naoto had been in his last. He had been one of Naruto's few friends for the whole year. Naoto had been different from everyone else. He was kind to everyone, regardless of whom it was. Even as he befriended Naruto and others warned him to stay away, he didn't. Where anyone else might be scorned for befriending Naruto, people just admired Naoto for putting up with the 'brat'; he was just that charismatic. So Naruto considered Naoto to be his best friend. And Naoto had always been Naruto's friend, even after he became a genin alongside his two teammates, Kenji and Kaori. He would often regale Naruto stories of his missions over steaming bowls of Ichiraku ramen, and the two would have a grand time. Naruto did eventually become friends with Kaori and Kenji, but it was always Naoto that was the glue that held everything together. And now, he was gone.

"How did it happen?" Naruto asked softly, keeping his voice firm. He needed to know. Kaori didn't immediately reply, still crying into Naruto's stomach.

"It was a Rain nin. He was trying to kill me, but Naoto jumped in at the last second. Kunai… his throat." Kaori barely got out, gasping for breath as her tears soaked both her face and Naruto's clothes.

"I… I should've done something! I should've trained more, I should've been more careful! It should have been me!" Kaori wailed despairingly.

'Naoto knew the risk. He didn't have to jump in. He didn't need to take the kunai for his teammate. But he did.' Naruto thought to himself. This was the life of a shinobi. The risk, the dangers, the deaths.

The two grieved for their lost friend well into the night.

* * *

The jounin gathered had been contemplating their future genin teams that had been assigned to them when Hatake Kakashi had spoken up.

"Hokage-sama, you said that I'd be getting Uchiha Sasuke regardless of what I wished, correct?" Kakashi asked. The Hokage nodded in affirmation.

"There are several other jounin that could have been assigned to him, members of his own family in fact, but the fact lies that you are the most skilled person in this village with the Sharingan. Uchiha Sasuke is indeed a genius, and the council believes that no Uchiha still alive has enough skill or experience to train him to his full potential." the Hokage explained.

"Hmm… then, I'd like to propose a trade." Kakashi said. The other jounin murmured slightly, but Kakashi didn't react at all. The Hokage looked at Kakashi for a few seconds as if waiting for an unspoken message before speaking up.

"And just whom do you intend to trade?" the Hokage asked, but just by looking at Kakashi he already knew who it was going to be and why, and really, the Hokage already approved the idea. But, appearances had to be kept up.

"If possible, I'd like to trade Uzumaki Naruto for Uchiha Shinji." Kakashi said. Some of the jounin looked at him surprised, and some, the Hokage was irritated to notice, with understanding.

They understood nothing.

"What do the rest of you think?" the Hokage addressed the rest of the jounin. The first to speak up was the rookie Yuuhi Kurenai, who had just recently been promoted to jounin.

"If I may be allowed to say, Hokage-sama, it would be unbalancing for the team from which Uchiha Shinji will be traded. Uzumaki Naruto is listed as the dead-last in his class, and his two teammates will be likewise. Uchiha Akane is the second worst in the class, and their final teammate, Hyuuga Hikari, while not at the bottom of the class, would also suffer from their lack of skill. There's also the fact that both his teammates and sensei are female; that may also disrupt the team dynamics." Kurenai explained before turning to Kakashi directly, "Kakashi, I understand why you would rather be without the dead-last in your team, especially Uzumaki Naruto, but it is usually tradition that the dead-last be with the top two in the class."

Kakashi almost chuckled. Almost.

'Ahh rookies. I love them so much. So inexperienced, so foolish.' Kakashi thought. Then he retorted.

"Uchiha Akane is Uchiha Shinji's sister. With their final teammate and their sensei both being Hyuuga, it can very well be disrupting for the team dynamics. Also, having a family member and a fairly skilled one at that on his team would be good for Uchiha Sasuke's psyche and development. And lastly, even with the teams as they are, Uchiha Shinji would still be surrounded by females anyways. Anyway, that really shouldn't have anything to with team configuration." Kakashi replied, his tone of voice never changing from bored.

This time, it wasn't Kurenai that replied, but the Hokage's son, Asuma.

"Hmm… I would say that Kurenai is right about it being unfair for Team 9. But, there's really nothing that can be done, is there?" Asuma chuckled, "Elite jounin get what they want."

Kakashi smiled. Asuma told it like it was, and he was right. Kakashi was hailed to be the best jounin in the entire village, followed closely by Maito Gai. Asuma was also a good jounin, a veteran jounin in fact (although nowhere near Kakashi's level), and so he knew things that the pretty-eyed Kurenai wouldn't. The Hokage wouldn't refuse him, especially when the Hokage knew the true reason of why Kakashi specifically wanted Uchiha Shinji, or rather, why Kakashi wanted Naruto to go to the team that had two Hyuuga in it.

The main reason was basically because Naruto had successfully, after years and years of training, been able form his chakra into the shape of seals. There were no shortcuts, no tricks. It was just many years of Kage Bunshin style training and a lot of hard work.

Of course, Naruto had still only just been able to do it; it would take a lot of work before he became a master at it.

But the point was that Naruto could exert chakra from his hands in the shape of fuuinjutsu seals. The obvious next step for Naruto would be to move onto learning ninjutsu, and have his fuuinjutsu technique be the supplementary power to it. With this power, Naruto could very easily become one of the (if not the) best ninjutsu users to ever have lived.

Kakashi could already think of many possibilities of using ninjutsu with Naruto's fuuinjutsu technique, like using wind seals with a fire jutsu, or absorbing elemental ninjutsu techniques. And with Kakashi's help and knowledge of thousands of different jutsu, Naruto would probably be one of the best genin in the entire shinobi world.

But, Kakashi had already though beyond that. There was no doubt that if Kakashi taught Naruto personally to be a ninjutsu user, Naruto would definitely be able to become Hokage (as if there was anything else the blond would become) and live and die successfully, making quite a splash on the world. But there was another route. One that Kakashi hoped would shake the very foundations of Konoha, of Fire Country, of the shinobi world!

And for that to happen, Kakashi would have to wait before he could get his hands on the aspiring genin. There was just one skill that Naruto needed to be taught, and Kakashi wasn't the person that could teach it to him.

"Very well. Iruka, please change the teams accordingly." The Hokage told the Academy instructor, who had been watching the proceedings quietly.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Iruka replied quietly, "If there are no other changes, may I be excused?"

The Hokage nodded his assent, and the chuunin disappeared in a whirl of leaves. He then turned to Kakashi.

"Kakashi, I suppose you'll want to talk to the sensei of team nine?" the Hokage asked, already knowing the answer.

"Hmm… I suppose I should, seeing as I dumped the dead-last onto her team while taking her best student onto my own." Kakashi replied nonchalantly. The other jounin watched the exchange between the leader of the village and elite jounin silently.

"She couldn't be at this meeting due to familial reasons, but her name is Hyuuga Aoi. I'll leave it to you to inform her of your reasoning behind the trade." the Hokage told him, before addressing the gathered jounin as a collective.

"Normally, there would only be three teams per class allowed to become genin apprentices. However, it has been quite a while since there has been such a promising group of shinobi that the council has allowed for one extra team to also pass into jounin apprenticeship. It is up to you as jounin to decide whether the team you receive will be capable. Don't go easy on them. They are our future. One of those numbers may very well be our Hokage, and we cannot afford for them to be insufficient! Judge them harsh, and train them well! Dismissed."

* * *

"Team seven will consist of: Haruno Sakura," a pink haired girl straightened up, crossing her fingers and whispering something to herself non-stop, "Uchiha Sasuke," "YATTA!" the pink haired girl exclaimed, as a dark-haired boy slammed his head onto the desk in front of him, "and Uchiha Shinji. Your sensei is Hatake Kakashi." Iruka informed the class.

The boy named Sasuke (whose forehead was now slightly red) looked round at another dark-haired boy who was obviously Uchiha Shinji, grinning slightly. Shinji smiled back at Sasuke, giving him a wave. Sasuke let out a deep sigh of relief.

'I thought I was a goner. At least Shinji is good company.' Sasuke thought to himself. Shinji was also a good ninja. Not quite at Sasuke's level, but he'd be a good sparring partner.

"Team eight will consist of: Aburame Shino," nobody in the room reacted, "Hyuuga Hinata," a rather timid-looking girl looked up at her name, quietly acknowledging her fate, "and Inuzuka Kiba." "And Akamaru!" a feral-looking boy piped up, "Your sensei is Yuuhi Kurenai." Iruka continued, despite the interruptions.

"Team nine will consist of: Hyuuga Hikari," a pale-eyed girl furrowed her brows slightly, "Uchiha Akane," Hyuuga Hikari looked to the dark-haired girl sitting beside her, smiling at her friend, "and…" Iruka paused, looking to the back of the room, "Uzumaki Naruto." "YOSH!" rang a voice from the back. Head upon head turned to the back of the room, as many people in the class exclaimed, "EH! NARUTO PASSED!" Naruto looked back at them irritably, but Iruka gathered everyone's attention again. "Your sensei is Hyuuga Aoi."

"Team ten will consist of: Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru, and Yamanaka Ino. Your sensei is Sarutobi Asuma."

"Ahhh man!" rang the voice of a blond haired girl who could only be Yamanaka Ino. "I can't believe I'm stuck with these two losers!"

The boy sitting beside her grumbled at being called a loser, but didn't say anything back to her. And the last boy just kept eating his chips.

"Your senseis will be here to pick you up in an hour. I suggest you take the time to have a lunch with your teams. And lastly…" Iruka paused, looking from one side of the room to the other, "Do me proud as shinobi. I'm happy to say that I'm glad that I met each and every single one of you. Yes Naruto, even you." Iruka said, smiling at them. Naruto pouted at being singled out, but smiled nonetheless. Despite being somewhat stiff to him early on in the year, Iruka had warmed up to Naruto since, and their relationship was now close enough that Naruto considered his sensei to be a good friend.

And all the ramen that Iruka had treated him to didn't have too much to do with it. Really.

* * *

Outside, Naruto wandered around lost in his thoughts. He had been so excited this morning that he had forgotten his lunch and now he regretted it. But regardless of that, he had finally made genin, and for some reason, he didn't feel as proud as he thought he would've been. Of course, Naruto could've made genin back when he was six years old, so it wasn't exactly hard; maybe that was why he didn't feel like it was such a good accomplishment.

Of course, he was still very happy but Naruto thought that he was still at a high from the euphoria of finally accomplishing his goal for many years: seals made from chakra. He called it the _Fuuin-hime_ technique, or the 'Seal Princess' technique. It had been a harrowing task; even with the Kage-Bunshin-chakra-memory-feedback training style, Naruto had just barely been able to do it. The biggest problem was that he was trying to force the chakra into a particular shape; chakra control had no effect on it. However, since chakra was normally very fluid-like, it would very easily lose its shape, and it was practically impossible to just harden chakra outside of the body inside out. There was also the problem that hardened chakra was completely useless for using jutsu, unless you were planning to cut someone up with it. After about a year of trying to force his chakra into different shapes, Naruto had been forced to look at it a different way. How he would go about it though, he had no idea.

And then, of course, ramen gave him the answer.

He had stopped by Ichiraku Ramen one day, and had some Ramen2Go; The Ichiraku trademarks that Yuugao had come up with. It was basically, ramen in a container that could be taken along instead of eating it in the stand. And Naruto received his answer from that.

Instead of hardening chakra from the inside out, he had to create a hardened shell and store the fluid-like chakra inside, as if it were a container. The thin layer of hardened chakra would contain the regular chakra inside, and the chakra wouldn't lose its jutsu-casting capacity nor would it fall out of place. And of course, the most important part was that it would form the shape of seals.

Once Naruto had realized this, he also realized how seemingly impossible it would be to solidify his chakra into a thin container in the shape of a seal. Unlike his previous attempt, it did have a semblance of chakra control. And therein lay the problem.

Having to make a single seal in this method was already a big problem. But even making a single seal wouldn't really allow him to make any others with ease automatically. There were hundreds upon hundreds of fuuinjutsu seals that came in all sorts of sizes and shapes. Perhaps for the circular method there were less seals readily produced as it was very versatile, but he would still have to be able to single handedly have to learn to form each seal. That would take him longer than he would probably live, even if he did manage to live to an old age like the Sandaime had.

So he cheated.

Putting their minds together, Naruto and Yuugao designed a 'Chakra Control Seal' which would regulate Naruto's chakra enough that should he ever form this seal while using any jutsu, his chakra would be perfectly controllable and be used at maximum efficiency per output without any waste. Or in other words, artificial perfect chakra control.

As long as he first formed this seal in any sequence, Naruto would be able to form any others with much more ease. Not to mention the fact that he would be able to perform any jutsu flawlessly.

Despite the fact that he had to always start with a Control Seal, Naruto was very happy with the results of his training even though his regular ninja training suffered for it. But he thought that it was well worth it; besides, now that he was able to use Fuuin-hime, he would be a better ninja than he most likely ever would be had he hadn't tried to create the technique.

And there was the fact that Yuugao would be so proud. He felt that making Yuugao proud was enough reason for him to do it.

"Oi, Naruto!"

Naruto looked up at the sound of his name. Grinning at him was his new teammate, Uchiha Akane. Behind her was his other teammate, Hyuuga Hikari, who regarded him stoically.

"Hmm? What is it?" Naruto asked, curious at what they wanted.

"We thought that since we're going to be teammates, we should have lunch together!" Akane said cheerfully. Naruto cheered up even more.

"Oh, okay! Let's go have some…" but Naruto suddenly remembered he didn't have any lunch, "Ahh, crap. I was in such a rush this morning that I didn't make any lunch."

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Akane's grin faltered slightly, but it picked up once more.

"Don't worry about it! My aunt made more than I can eat alone, so you can share with me! Us dead-lasts gotta stick together, eh?" Akane said, elbowing Naruto's side in good humor. Naruto would have resented the fact that she called him a dead-last if it weren't for the fact that he actually _was_ the dead-last.

After all, he couldn't expect anything else if he only barely went to class even once a week.

"Doesn't your mom make you lunch?" Hikari asked, finally speaking. Naruto looked at her, but she didn't react in any way.

"I'm an orphan." Naruto informed her, and neither of them reacted. It was a ninja village; orphans were to be expected.

"What about your foster parents?" Akane asked this time, curious. She herself had lost her own parents fewer than six years ago in an infamous event known as the Uchiha massacre.

"Don't got 'em." Naruto answered. Both girls frowned slightly at this. Though orphans were abundant in Konoha, in all ninja villages in fact, they were usually adopted into a family. Seeing an orphan that hadn't been adopted was rarer than seeing one who had.

"Wait, don't you have any parents?" Akane questioned, genuinely confused. Naruto felt uncomfortable at the personal questioning, but before he could answer Hikari butted in.

"Akane, that's none of our business." she said, before turning to Naruto, "Naruto, you can share lunch with us. Will you be coming?"

"Sure, let's go!" Naruto said, feeling happy that his teammates at least made the effort to be nice to him. Even now he didn't have many friends in the academy, and he didn't have any friends in his specific class. The majority of the class thought of and treated him as an idiot and a dead-last, but he seemed to have lucked out with these teammates.

As the trio made to leave, a figure blurred in front of them. All of them tensed at the speed this person seemed to possess (which was much greater than any of them could even think of achieving at the moment), and they only slightly relaxed when they realized that it was a Konoha shinobi.

To be more specific, it was a kunoichi ANBU, wearing a cat mask which did nothing to block the flowing violet hair from beautifully cascading out from around her.

Naruto relaxed, realizing who it was. And his attention was drawn away to the box she was carrying in her hands.

"Yo! Is that food?" Naruto asked. Akane and Hikari blinked at the familiarity that Naruto showed with the kunoichi ANBU.

The ANBU chuckled and pulled off her mask, revealing her stunning face to the world. It was none other than Uzuki Yuugao.

"Is that all you care about? There's no, 'Ohh I'm glad to see you're back from your mission safe and sound' or even a hug for your neechan whom you haven't seen for a whole week!" Yuugao said, pouting as she attached her mask to her belt. Hikari and Akane looked on in wonder.

"I _said_ 'yo'." Naruto grumbled, "Now tell me, is that FOOD!"

Yuugao sighed, shaking her head in amusement. But she still handed him the box.

"Now what do you say?" she asked playfully.

"I say, 'yay, food'!" Naruto replied cheekily in the process of opening the box. Yuugao's hand blurred faster than any of the genin could react, and she held the box once again.

"I say thank you, I say thank you!" Naruto pleaded, leaping for the lunchbox. Yuugao gracefully tilted her body sideways sticking her leg out, and Naruto went tumbling onto the ground sending dust up into the air. Yuugao held the lunchbox out tantalizingly.

"Hmm…" she said, in a thinking manner like Kakashi would always do (Naruto would surely get annoyed), "Well, I guess you don't really want any food. Maybe I should just eat this _barbeque chicken_ all by myself."

Yuugao (and Akane and Hikari as well) watched amusedly as Naruto leapt to his feet swiftly. His eyes zoned in on the lunchbox as if he had a Sharingan, and he brought his hands up to form a single hand seal.

"Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto called out, and Yuugao blanched in shock as a single clone fazed in beside him.

'Bunshin? That's means-' but Yuugao couldn't finish her thought as Naruto's clone jumped at her. Her shock cost her as the clone suddenly gained a body and the real Naruto that had stayed back shimmered slightly as if _it_ was the clone. The clone-turned-Naruto grabbed the lunchbox from her outstretched hand and spun, protecting it with his body lest Yuugao try to snatch it back (and he knew that she could). He chucked the lunchbox back at the other Naruto, who suddenly gained a body as he caught it, and the Naruto that had grabbed the lunchbox faded out of existence, as it were a clone all along. But Yuugao didn't do anything but gaze at him with surprise.

Naruto had been able to do Bunshin no Jutsu since he was just seven years old. He had even managed to learn the exclusive Kawarimi variant of the technique which had been taught to him by the intruder, Gensei Moshanise. However, as he got older, he found it harder and harder to be able to do the technique until it got to the point that he couldn't make a decent Bunshin at all, let alone a Kawarimi Bunshin. He hadn't known what was happening, but Kakashi explained to him that it was to be expected because his chakra was growing faster than his control of it. Naruto could have attempted to practice control, but that would mean constant and endless training in chakra control so Naruto didn't make any attempt to learn chakra control exercises.

For him to have used that technique meant that he had finally finished his technique.

Meanwhile, Akane looked on in wonderment as the supposed dead-last had managed to steal something from an ANBU who was apparently his big sister. Hikari's eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, but it was for a different reason.

Unlike Akane and Naruto, she wasn't at the bottom of the class. She was actually quite high up. While other girls such as Haruno Sakura or Yamanaka Ino were beyond her level (though she was sure that it was academically only), Hikari was no slouch. Akane, her best friend and an Uchiha, would have been the dead-last if Naruto didn't hold that title. While Hikari truly admired Akane's kind and forgiving nature (which was also one of the reasons that the two of them were now best friends), Hikari knew that Akane would not _see_ what she had just seen. When Naruto jumped to grab the lunchbox, Hikari was sure that it was the clone that had jumped. There was no dust scattered when he jumped, there was no noise of his sandals on the ground; typical signs of the Bunshin no Jutsu. But the clone was suddenly real as it grabbed the lunchbox and the real Naruto wasn't real anymore. And then it turned real once more while the clone that grabbed the lunchbox had faded away like a regular clone would.

'What in the world was that?' Hikari's thoughts were interrupted when Yuugao slowly spoke up.

"Naruto, that was the Bunshin no Jutsu." Yuugao stated the obvious to which Naruto nodded, grinning, "You just did the Bunshin no Jutsu, which means…"

"Yup." Naruto answered the unasked question. His grin didn't leave his face, even as Yuugao shot at him. Hikari and Akane watched silently as Yuugao enveloped him in a tight hug.

"When?" Yuugao asked.

"A day after you left." was Naruto's simple reply.

"Then you… I guess you're a genin now." Yuugao chuckled, as she released him. Naruto put his hands behind his head (one of them was still holding the lunchbox).

"Yeah, it's great." Naruto told her, grinning sheepishly.

Yuugao grabbed his chin and placed a moist kiss on his whiskered cheek, and whispered to him,

"I'm so proud of you, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto blushed at the praise and the kiss. Akane and Hikari grinned and smiled respectively at the touching scene.

"Kami, embarrass me in front of my teammates why don't you." Naruto said in good humour.

"Eh? Teammates?" Yuugao asked, looking over at Akane and Hikari in confusion, at which both shifted around at the thought of an ANBU kunoichi paying close attention to them. She looked back at Naruto, decidedly confused.

"Naruto, weren't you the dead-last at the Academy?" Yuugao asked. Naruto grumbled at her question.

"Yeah, but you don't have to be so blunt about it."

Yuugao ignored his discomfort.

"And who were the top two students?" she asked.

"That bastard, Uchiha Sasuke and his idiot fan girl, Haruno Sakura. Of all the people, it had to be those two losers." Naruto answered sourly, at which Akane punched his arm.

"Don't call my cousin a bastard! He's just a little… socially stupid." Akane said, scowling.

"'Socially inept.'" Hikari corrected her. Yuugao rubbed her chin in thought.

"I… see." She looked back at Naruto's teammates, and bowed after saying, "I apologize for my rudeness. My name is Uzuki Yuugao. It is a pleasure to meet you!"

"I'm Uchiha Akane! It's so cool to meet such a successful kunoichi! What's ANBU like? How did you get there? And how exactly are you-" Hikari interrupted Akane's endless verbal diatribe.

"My name is Hyuuga Hikari. It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Yuugao-san." Hikari said, bowing back at Yuugao.

"Well, as much as I'd like to spend more time with all of you, I'm afraid that I have other business to take care of. Perhaps I can answer your questions another day, Akane-chan." Yuugao said, smiling at the girls.

"Yeah, that'd be awesome!" Akane said cheerfully.

"I look forward to it." Yuugao said, "Well, take care, Akane-chan, Hikari-chan. And please watch after this little idiot."

Yuugao formed a hand seal and disappeared in a flurry of dust and leaves, having used the _Shunshin no Jutsu_.

"Will do!" Akane yelled after her, looking at the direction that she went off in with star struck eyes, "Wow… Yuugao-san. So cool!"

"Well, let's go eat lunch!" Naruto said excitedly, but just then, a bell went off in the Academy. It was time to meet their sensei.

"Oh no! NO!" Naruto cried out in anguish, clutching his precious barbeque chicken to himself. Hikari chuckled, showing her amusement for the first time.

"It's okay Naruto," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder, "we can eat later with our sensei. You'll be surprised at how easygoing she is."

"Yeah, Aoi is super cool!" Akane said, "I just know you'll be so surprised when you meet her!"

* * *

"Team two!"

"Team six!"

"Team four!"

Naruto watched as the newly appointed genin followed their newly appointed sensei's out.

"Team ten! Come here." a bearded man called out. As Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino went over to their sensei, Naruto regarded the jounin. He seemed vaguely familiar, but Naruto couldn't recall where from.

"What's up, Naruto?" Akane asked.

"Oh, I was just trying to remember where I've seen that guy before." Naruto answered. The jounin, who had yet to leave the room, felt Naruto's gaze and looked back at him. Naruto noticed that the jounin's gaze hardened when looking at him, so he averted his own.

'You'd think after being so long in this village, people would stop looking at me like that.' Naruto thought to himself sadly.

"That's Sarutobi Asuma. He's the son of the Hokage." Hikari answered. Naruto suddenly remembered; he had seen him in a photo on the Hokage's desk.

"Team eight. Come here please."

Naruto's eyes went straight to the origin of the pleasant voice.

The sensei of team eight was certainly a beauty. Naruto thought back to the morning, trying to recall her name. What with everything that had happened since then, it was a bit hard.

'Yuuhi… Kurenai?' Naruto thought to himself.

Naruto watched as team eight went over to their beautiful sensei. Shino seemed indifferent, though Naruto could never really tell with Shino anyway. Hinata, probably the weirdest and shyest girl in the class (though she was better than most, mainly because she wasn't a fan girl), looked strangely happy for some reason, and Kiba of course had a shit-eating grin on his face at the prospect of having such a 'hot babe' as his sensei.

The raven-haired woman looked at Naruto of her own volition. Naruto looked back, not knowing what to think. But soon enough, even her gaze gained _that_ quality; the one that judged him unworthy. However, a loud voice interrupted their staring contest, as Kurenai blinked.

"ALRIGHT! WHERE'S TEAM NINE!"

Naruto looked to the source of that voice.

His to-be-sensei had the same Hyuuga eyes as every other Hyuuga, but that was where the similarities ended. She was definitely beautiful; her skin tone was fairly darker than most Hyuuga had, but it was still slightly paler than Naruto's. She looked almost like an older Hinata. However, what really stood out about her was her hair. It was extremely long, reaching all the way to her calves. But the uniqueness came in the fact that it was _braided_.

Her clothing was untypical for a Hyuuga as well; she wore a tank top and long-shorts on top of fishnet on top of black spandex, which covered the whole body from neck to ankle. The only parts that were bare were her forearms, face, and feet. And, like Hikari, and unlike Hinata, her hitai-ate was tied around her forehead. Needless to say, it was extremely unorthodox, not just for a Hyuuga, but for a kunoichi as well.

Hikari, Akane, and Naruto walked over to their new sensei, who looked over at them. As her eyes locked with Naruto's, she did something that he did not expect.

"KYAAA!"

"What the…!"

Naruto suddenly felt much heavier, as he looked up to see Aoi riding on his shoulders. He stumbled a bit at the sudden increase in weight, but quickly placed his feet apart in attempt to regain balance, but it was to no avail. As both sensei and student went tumbling to the ground, Aoi spun around acrobatically so that she would end up underneath him, meeting face to face. They hit the ground with a loud thud, with Naruto's body pressing on top of Aoi's.

"Oh, so bold! Please Naruto-sama, take me!" Aoi gasped out in a luscious voice.

"…Eh?" was Naruto's only reply. The people remaining in the room watched the two in shock.

"Umm… well," Akane said weakly, recovering from her shock, "I told you she'd surprise you."

Hikari's face met palm.

* * *

"Okay, well, I know you two," Aoi said, indicating Akane and Hikari, "And Naruto-sama, I know you too. You two know me, but Naruto-sama should too know me, so let's let both of us twos introduce ourselves, so we can know everybody!"

Naruto looked up at her. She was still riding on his shoulders; she had insisted that he carry her around and wouldn't remove herself from that position.

"Hikari, you start. Names, likes, dislikes, goals, dreams." Aoi ordered the girl. The girl in question sighed, but obeyed.

"My name is Hyuuga Hikari, twelve years old. I like flowers and spending time with my friends. I also tolerate Aoi." Hikari started, at which Aoi pouted in indignation, "I dislike people who discriminate others because they believe themselves to be better. I don't have any particular goals for the future, but my dream is… to be with my friends."

As Hikari presented herself, Naruto took the time to observe her.

Like every Hyuuga, Hikari had the milky-white eyes that were their trademark _doujutsu_, the Byakugan. Her dark brown hair was long, reaching to the middle of her back, but was cut short at the front, bangs resting on her hitai-ate, which was tied around her forehead. She wore pale white clothing as was the norm for most Hyuugas. She also had a quiet air of confidence, but there was nothing that really identified her apart from the rest of the clan, except for a pink hairclip that stood out.

"Akane, you next!"

The girl in question grinned.

"Yo, my name is Uchiha Akane! I like Hikari-chan, Aoi, Hinata-chan, Hanabi-chan, my brother Shinji, my Aunt Mikoto, my cousin Sasuke-kun, the legendary Tsunade-sama, Hokage-sama, the guy who brings us milk bottles every day (what was his name?), the girl who-" Akane listed off in rapid-fire, but one of Aoi's braids suddenly reached out and whipped her head.

"Ow! Okay, okay! I dislike people who put others down for their own pleasure, and my goal is to unlock my Sharingan and to show everyone that I can also become an awesome kunoichi!"

Akane had jet black eyes and hair like most Uchiha did, but her hair was cropped, and only reached down to her shoulders. She wore a dark half-sleeve shirt and off-white long-shorts. Her shirt had the Uchiha clan symbol on the back. Naruto thought that her clothing was almost an imitation of Sasuke's, though he had to admit that Akane was much more pleasant to look at.

"Alright, I'll go next!" Aoi said exuberantly, "My name is Hyuuga Aoi! My likes? Well… I love Naruto-sama, and I like envisioning what our kids would look like!"

Naruto… didn't know how to react.

"I dislike the rule that stops senseis from bedding their students! My goal for the future is to… _christen_… Naruto-sama's chuunin vest and my dream for the future is to marry and give Naruto-sama as many kids as he wants!" Aoi exclaimed, grinning perversely.

"Okay, now the best for last! Go ahead, Naruto-sama!" Aoi exclaimed.

"Umm… My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I'm twelve years old, and the things I like… my friends and the people I consider to be my family. And my favourite food is ramen, and my favourite colour is orange!" Naruto proclaimed. Aoi rubbed her chin in thought.

'Orange eh?'

Naruto definitely did love orange, and his clothing reflected that. Both his vest and shorts were orange, and he wore a blue t-shirt underneath his vest, and blue sandals. He had previously swapped out the regular cloth on his hitai-ate for a longer blue one that reached out all the way to his shoulders.

"I dislike people that discriminate against others for no reason, and the time I have to wait for ramen to cook. My goal for the future is to… save as many friends as I can, and…" he said, remembering Naoto, and then he grinned, "my dream is to one day become a fine ninja of this village! To become Hokage!"

"Then my new goal is to christen Naruto-sama's Hokage robes!" Aoi piped up immediately.

"Aoi, how about being serious and telling us what we're supposed to do next now that we're genin." Hikari spoke up.

"Kami, what a killjoy!" But at the look on Hikari's face, Aoi complied. She flipped off of Naruto's shoulders (finally) and turned to face all three genin.

"Fine, fine." Aoi's voice took on a serious tone, "The genin title that you hold currently is a fake."

All three twelve-year-olds looked at her in surprise. Aoi smirked in understanding.

"Yeah, that's right. You three are currently genin by Academy standards. But the Academy standards comply with what the non-shinobi civilians consider to be ninja, and that's all due to the politics between shinobi and non-shinobi citizens. To truly be a ninja by the standard of being a Hidden Village, there's another test you have to pass, given to you by your jounin sensei. Only then will you be truly considered a genin of Konoha." Aoi explained.

"What's this other test?" Akane asked, oddly quiet.

"It varies from jounin sensei to jounin sensei, but it's always a combat test. I'm going to tell you three straight up; you have to prove that you have what it takes to work together as a team. Other jounin will probably try to let their genin figure this out by themselves, but I want to go the direct route. But don't think I'm taking it easy on you."

"Since when do you ever take it easy on us?" Hikari asked, amused. Aoi ignored her comment.

"The other jounin won't interfere with their genin, just to see if they will come together on their own. Instead, I'm going to actively try to prevent you from working together; I'll be trying to split you up. It'll be harder on you three than most teams."

"So you're giving us the hardest test?" Akane asked, looking subdued, which was a far outcry from her usually outgoing, happy-go-lucky behaviour.

"Hmm… well your test will be harder than most. But be glad you didn't get Hatake Kakashi as your sensei. His test is always the hardest, and he hasn't passed even a single team yet." Aoi said.

"What about you, Aoi-sensei?" Naruto asked, "How many teams have you passed?"

"Actually, you three are my first team. And I _really_ hope you pass." Aoi answered, winking sexily at Naruto. Naruto gulped.

"Anyway, out of all the graduating classes, each class will only have three teams that will pass. Except for your class; your class gets four teams that graduate. To tell you the truth, the exception was made because your class shows the most promising shinobi that Konoha has seen in quite a while." Aoi further explained.

"So, I think I've given you enough information. Your combat test starts tomorrow at 0900 hours. Be at training ground nine! Make sure to eat a good breakfast, and _be_ _prepared_! You'll need to be ready against me." Aoi informed them, "Now, you three are officially dismissed! _Unofficially_, however…"

Aoi grinned, and jumped on Naruto's back, her arms encircling his chest and her cheek resting against his. Naruto fumbled slightly at the movement, but he was more prepared this time. His arms instinctively caught her legs, and the result was Naruto giving a piggyback to a woman twice his size.

"Take me home, Naruto-sama! Take me home and have your way with me!"

Akane suddenly clenched her fist in front of her.

"I won't lose to you, Naruto! Let's race! Hikari, get on!"

Hikari sighed yet again, but amazingly clambered onto the slightly larger Akane's back.

"Come on Naruto-sama! Don't lose to these undeveloped little girls!" Aoi yelled out.

"Oh, it's _so_ on!" Akane shouted back.

Naruto looked at his new team in amazement. He hadn't been sure exactly what he was looking for in a team. To be truthful, he wasn't looking forward to being in a team at all. Even though he was barely ever in class, nobody had approached him anyway. He didn't have any friends in the whole graduating year, let alone his own class!

But his team wasn't like anything he expected. His sensei was (or pretended to be) completely and madly in love with him, and her life's dream was to bed him. One of his teammates was a fellow dead-last that was so outgoing that she seemed to like everyone she met, regardless of them being complete strangers. And his last teammate was the voice of reason in the team; one that could control even their sensei! Yet she also seemed to have a fun loving side.

If today was any indication, Naruto felt that he would have a lot of fun with this team. So he threw away all his reservations and inhibitions, and let loose.

"OKAY! LET'S GO!" Naruto shouted. Aoi whooped and hollered from his back.

Akane wiped her nose confidently, and Hikari tightened her grip.

Both runners crouched to the starting position, and Aoi already began giving Naruto directions.

And the race was on.

As the wind rushed past his face, Naruto smiled.

'Yeah… it'll be… _fun_.'

* * *

Chapter 04 – Genin Uzumaki – Terminating

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

It was mainly the first scene that I changed. I wrote it less dramaticly than it was previously. Otherwise, things were mainly the same.

Also, for those that haven't read this story before, you might find it annoying that I just so easily gave Naruto 'perfect chakra control'. I'm not in the habit of writing Super!Naruto fics, and this certainly isn't one. He'll be strong, yes, but not completely overpowering. I know what I'm doing.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

knuckz


	7. Interlude: Ayame's Date

Come Full Circle  
by: knuckz

* * *

Summary: Ninjas use taijutsu to beat their opponents down, genjutsu to disillusion them, ninjutsu to destroy them or heal them, and weaponry for quick kills. Some specialize in specific areas, and exceed in that talent, while others keep a general base in all aspects. As such, there are general ninja's and nin-, tai-, and genjutsu masters respectively. This was before Uzumaki Naruto became a ninja. For the first time, there will be a fuuinjutsu specialist.

* * *

"blah" – talking

'blah' – thinking

* * *

_Naruto is ten, Ayame is fifteen, and Yuugao is twenty._

_

* * *

_

Chapter 4.5 – Interlude: Ayame's Date – Commencing

* * *

"PFFFTT!"

Ayame shrieked as stray bits of noodles and soup was flung all over her clothes, but Naruto paid no attention to that. What did she just say!

Meanwhile, Yuugao sighed knowingly. This was the exact same reaction that Naruto had when she herself was in Ayame's position.

"What do you mean you're going on a date!" Naruto exclaimed in shock. Yuugao's knuckles rapped sharply on his head.

"Ow!"

"Oi Naruto, you better not give her the same trouble as you gave me!" Yuugao told him. She had gone out on a single date; it wasn't even really a serious date either, as her male friend just wanted to hang out casually. Yet Naruto had been adamant about accompanying her to make sure that the guy wouldn't force her to pay for the food, and wouldn't forcefully drag her to a 'love hotel' afterwards. Yuugao had told him that he had been watching too much anime; that she wasn't his mother that needed to be protected from perverted teachers.

And of course, he had tried to secretly observe her from afar. He might have succeeded as well, but she was a kunoichi; she had known exactly where he was. She hadn't tried to actively catch him and create a scene on her date, so she waited until she got home to deal out her punishment with extreme prejudice.

However, despite her anger at being spied on, Yuugao was secretly glad that Naruto cared enough about her to spy on her. Truth be told, the date with her unnamed friend was pretty boring; avoiding Naruto had spiced it up a lot.

Of course, that didn't mean she went easy on him afterwards. After she was done with him, he couldn't look at ramen without flinching for a week.

"Naruto…" Ayame said in an ominous voice, and that was really all she needed to say. While he could certainly beat Ayame in a fight (he was training to be a shinobi while she wasn't), he had qualms against hurting her. She had no such reservations.

There was just something about women that made them super-strong when they were angry.

"Ah, sorry!" Naruto said, grinning sheepishly. Teuchi stepped forward, and Naruto's gaze shifted to him.

"Naruto, show a little more trust." he said, "Ayame can take care of herself."

Ayame looked at her father happily, but Naruto pouted regardless.

"Who is this guy anyway?" he asked, unrelenting on the subject. Ayame spoke up immediately.

"His name is Kunio! He's blond and _gorgeous_." she informed the occupants of Ichiraku, going starry-eyed.

"_I'm_ blond." Naruto said sullenly, and Yuugao poked his cheek.

"You're her _little brother_." she said.

"So?" Naruto stood his ground, but Yuugao smirked nastily.

"Well, there are some things that a girl needs that her brother is unable to provide." she said, winking at Ayame. Both Ayame and Naruto blushed at the innuendo, and Naruto reacted screamingly.

"You've been hanging around with Kakashi, haven't you!" he accused her, at which Yuugao sweat-dropped. It was one of Naruto's favourite pastimes: blaming things on Kakashi, and basically insinuating that he was a pervert. Of course, Naruto always did it jokingly and Kakashi always took it in stride.

"Naruto, if you ruin this for me… _you'll live to regret it_." Ayame spoke in a tone that did not bode well for the blond. The blond laughed nervously.

"Don't worry Ayame." Yuugao spoke firmly, "I'm sure that he won't be spying on you, _right, Naruto?_"

Naruto didn't speak, but he waved his hands to convey that he wouldn't. It was apparently enough for Ayame, as she jumped on it.

"Okay, I'm going to hold you to that Naruto! And I'll let you off for ruining my clothes this time, all in good faith." Ayame said, "Anyway, I'm going to go change. Kunio-kun will be here soon!"

As Ayame was walking away to get ready for her date, Naruto regarded her with a sad smile and a sigh. Then, to his surprise, Yuugao's arms encircled him from behind.

"Wha-?"

"Oh Naruto. It's hard, isn't it?" Yuugao said, "You've known her for most of your life, and she's always been there for you. But, don't you think that now Ayame needs you to be there for her?"

They were silent for a moment; the only sounds were that of the boiling broth in the background and the light murmurs of the outside crowd wandering about. Naruto felt comforted in the arms of Yuugao, but he still didn't like the idea that Ayame was moving on. She had been one of the biggest constants in his life.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I don't want her to get hurt! Who knows what this guy is really like?" Naruto spoke up with an anguished look. It was Teuchi who replied.

"Naruto, you don't need to spy on Ayame and her date to determine what this boy is like. She's fifteen years old; she's going to have to take care of herself. You have to trust that she knows what she's doing." Teuchi said knowingly.

"But, how can you be so calm about this, Teuchi-occhan? She's your daughter!" Naruto exclaimed. He had no idea how Teuchi could even stand the idea of Ayame dating someone.

"I knew that it would eventually come. I'm just glad that she's dating someone with my blessing rather than going behind my back." Teuchi answered nonchalantly.

Naruto didn't know what to say to that, but an interruption came in the form of Ayame.

"How do I look?"

"KYAAA!"

Naruto winced at the high-pitched scream so close to his ear and he looked at Yuugao incredulously. He still wasn't used to the fact that Yuugao could be so… _girly_.

"Let me look at you! You look so beautiful!" Yuugao said excitedly, holding Ayame out at arm's length. Ayame blushed prettily.

"Really? You think he'll like it? I thought that it was too simple but…"

Naruto stared in awe at what Ayame was wearing. It was a purple-coloured kimono with elaborate golden swirls decorating it, and her hair was rolled up into a bun, with a golden-coloured comb sticking out. Her sandals were also golden-coloured, completing the ensemble. Naruto recognized it immediately; it was the present that he had gotten for Ayame for their recently shared birthday.

'She looks… _beautiful_.'

Ayame's gaze caught his, and she smiled at him.

"Well, Naruto?" she asked. Naruto regrouped, and crossed his arms in front of him in the shape of a giant 'X'.

"Ugly! Are you sure you want to go on a date looking like th-MMPH!" to which Yuugao slammed her fist into the top of his head, sending his face into the bowl of ramen sitting innocently on the counter in front of him.

"Ignore him." Yuugao said, smiling sweetly, "He's just being stubborn."

Ayame frowned at Naruto, but her gaze shifted to someone behind him and her face suddenly brightened.

"Kunio-kun!"

Naruto abruptly spun around to look at the boy who had dared ask out his big sister.

"Yo, Ayame-neechan!" the spiky-haired blond said enthusiastically, "Ready to go!"

Naruto stared at him wide-eyed with a shaky finger outstretched.

"Bi- bi- bi- BISHOUN-NNN!" Yuugao's hand suddenly covered his mouth, preventing him from saying something that was probably stupid enough to get him beat up later. But she too looked at the blond-haired pretty-boy with scrutiny.

There was something off about him; he didn't come off as a threatening person, but if she didn't know any better, she would have guessed that he was under the _Henge no Jutsu_. But he didn't seem to have enough chakra to be able to form and hold the Transformation technique; he could only have been a civilian. In the end, she squashed down her unease as just feelings of protectiveness. Ayame was practically her little sister, after all.

Ayame giggled in response.

"Yes, of course! Let's go!" she said, going over to him and latching onto his arm, smiling all the way. Kunio and Ayame made to leave, but Teuchi's voice interrupted their progress.

"Have her home by nine." Teuchi said gruffly, not amused by Kunio's rudeness. Ayame immediately rebuked her curfew.

"Nine! That's way too early! Come on, tousan, at least let us stay out 'til eleven!" she argued, but Kunio jumped in.

"Ano, Ayame-neechan, I can't stay out that long! I have to be in bed by ten!" Kunio interrupted. Naruto stared at him in disbelief.

'He's… like a five-year-old!' he thought, but Ayame giggled anyway.

"Oh, Kunio-kun, you're so funny!" she said, before turning back to her father, "Okay come on, dad, at least give us 'til ten!"

"Fine. But you better be in the house by ten! Not a minute later!" Teuchi said, warningly. Naruto nodded his agreement, not noticing how stupid he looked with ramen dripping down his face and noodles hanging from his nose and ears.

"And no _kissing!_" Naruto added tersely. Ayame glared at him, but Kunio replied before she could do anything.

"Aww…" Kunio pouted, but he saluted Naruto anyway, "Okay, anything you say, Boss!"

"Okay, okay. Let's go, let's go!" Ayame said, pulling Kunio away from Naruto, "Bye everyone!"

The three remaining people watched them walk away into the distance, before turning back to each other in silence. Naruto wasn't sure what to think, while Yuugao watched him with sympathy. Teuchi's face was oddly blank.

After a long moment of silence, Yuugao finally spoke up.

"I'd best be going. Thank you for the meal Teuchi-san. And _you_, Naruto!" Yuugao barked sharply, jabbing him softly in the chest with her index finger, "You'd better not be following her… _or else_."

"Don't worry, Yuugao-san, I'll keep an eye on him." Teuchi said. Yuugao looked at him gratefully.

"Thank you. Later!" And with that, Yuugao disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving coins rattling on the counter for Teuchi to collect. As soon as she was gone, Teuchi spoke up.

"Naruto…" was all he said, as he peered at the blond, who was wiping his face and hair. And Naruto replied knowingly.

"I'm on it."

As Naruto left the ramen stand to go spy on Ayame's date, Teuchi nodded to himself, eyes closed with assurance.

'I can count on Naruto. _Nobody's_ good enough for _my_ daughter.'

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with this guy?" Naruto whispered heatedly to himself, as he observed Kunio and Ayame from the foliage. They had gone to an outdoor restaurant, where Kunio had ordered a _kid's meal_.

Even Naruto didn't eat kid's meals.

"He really is acting like a… like a five-year-old!" Naruto said, making sure not to raise his voice too loud, "This is messed up. Why in the world would Ayame-neechan date _this guy_?"

Ayame and Kunio had gone from throwing around a Frisbee in the park, to playing a few games at the arcade (Ayame gave a beat-down to Kunio with the polar bear at the fighting game that she always played with Naruto), and Kunio's stomach had started rumbling, so he and Ayame had gone to the fast-food restaurant to grab some food.

Naruto had been watching pretty closely, but Kunio hadn't attempted to make any moves on Ayame (else Naruto be forced to give him a beat-down later on). Actually, he seemed rather wary about touching the pretty fifteen-year-old, something that Ayame was likely frustrated by.

Naruto was broken out of his thoughts as Kunio and Ayame started leaving, with Ayame generously paying for their lunch. Naruto jumped through the foliage to follow, but he crashed into someone else who was hidden previously. Both of them, surprised, went tumbling to the ground in a whirlwind of purple and orange.

Naruto looked at the person that he had crashed into.

"EH? YUUGAO-NEECHAN!" he shouted out disbelievingly. Yuugao looked at him, shocked and embarrassed, before reacting.

"_Shut up, you idiot, or we'll get caught!_" she whispered heatedly, but it seemed that Ayame was too far to hear his shout.

"Wait a minute…" Naruto said, slowly, "What were you doing here anyway…?"

"Naruto! What did I say about spying!" she said, glaring at him menacingly. But Naruto wasn't falling for it.

"Well _obviously_ I was going to spy on her anyway. What about you, huh?" Naruto questioned. Yuugao brushed prettily, caught.

"Well… she's my sister too." Yuugao said like a child caught with her hand in the cookie-jar.

"Tch, hypocrite." Naruto tsked at her, but Yuugao shut him up quickly.

"Come on; let's go before she gets away." Yuugao said hurriedly, grabbing the whiskered blond and chasing after Ayame.

"Just avoiding the subject." Naruto muttered, as the two leaped through the trees and from rooftops.

He got a clobbering on his head for his trouble.

* * *

The date ended at Ichiraku Ramen, where Ayame was exchanging goodbyes with the grinning Kunio. Naruto was glad that it had gone by without much trouble. But then things started to go wrong when Ayame suddenly started leaning in. And leaning in. And leaning in.

'Oh hell no.'

Naruto couldn't hold himself back, and Yuugao, in her anticipation for a kiss scene, was too late to stop him.

"Just what is going on here!" Naruto yelled out ferociously, jumping out. Ayame jerked away from Kunio, momentarily terrified at the interruption, before she realized just who it was.

"_Naruto…_" Ayame started, but Naruto cut her off.

"Nuh uh, no way! No kissing allowed!" he said. Yuugao suddenly appeared next to him, capturing him in a headlock, but the moment had been ruined. There was a moment of silence before Yuugao realized her folly in revealing herself, as she slowly released Naruto from his headlock. Nobody spoke, but then…

Kunio gave Naruto a thumbs up.

"Don't worry Boss, I wasn't going to kiss her, just like you said." he said, ever-grinning. Naruto looked at him, confused and angry.

"Who told you that you could take her out on a date anyway?" Naruto rounded on him.

"Naruto, what do you think you're doing!" Ayame growled at him. Yuugao covered her face with her hand in exasperation.

"What are you talking about, Naruto-niichan? You told me to!" Kunio replied, effectively confusing everyone present. But suddenly, all of Kunio's actions, playfulness, and overall child-like disposition made sense to the increasingly horrified Naruto, as Kunio's words clicked in his mind. This didn't bode well.

Kunio formed a tiger seal, and with a puff of smoke, suddenly shrunk until he was about half of Ayame's height. The boy was now wearing goggles and a blue scarf; his hair was a spiky brown, and he had a bright grin on his face. And everyone there looked at him in disbelief.

"…KONOHAMARU!"

* * *

"…I almost made out with a five-year-old." Ayame said to herself desolately, as she leaned against Naruto. Meanwhile, Yuugao was giving the said five-year-old a lecture about not tricking older women into dates. Naruto just sat next to Ayame with an odd look of relief on his face. And a little bit of tenseness.

"Do you understand, Konohamaru-kun?" Yuugao said, finishing off her lecture. Konohamaru nodded fervently, happy to be free of scolding, and with an apology to Ayame, quickly ran off home, being out past his bed-time. Yuugao went over to Ayame and Naruto, and slumped beside them on the bench. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then…

"Ayame-neechan, I'm sorry." Naruto finally said. Ayame looked at him weakly.

"What for?" she asked.

"For being so… selfish, I guess. It's just that, you've been there for me for the longest that anyone has in my life. I know it was stupid of me, but I guess that, I thought you'd move on." Naruto said somberly. Ayame put her head against his.

"Naruto, I'll be dating, and eventually be married; I've held it off for long enough. But, no matter who I meet, you'll always be number one for me. Nothing can come between us." Ayame said sweetly, "Besides, where would you be without your big sisters?"

Naruto smiled and closed his eyes, lying down on the bench and putting his head in Ayame's lap. She absentmindedly started stroking his hair, something that always put him into the blissful embrace of sweet sleep.

"So don't try to set any of us on anymore dates, Naruto. We can take care of ourselves." Yuugao smirked, patting Naruto on the head.

"Naruto, why did Konohamaru-kun mention that it was your idea for him to ask me out anyway?" Ayame asked.

"Well, he saw me use my _Oiroke no Jutsu_ on old man Hokage a week ago, so he pestered me to teach it to him. It's basically a Henge, so I taught it to him. I guess he learned to apply it differently. But I was joking around when I said that if only someone as loyal as him would date my sister." Naruto explained, opening his eyes, "I was talking about Yuugao-neechan, but he must've thought about that I was talking about you."

"Still, I'm surprised that nobody was able to recognize that he was wearing a Henge." Yuugao spoke up, "I think that because he's so young, we weren't able to tell that he was using his chakra like that."

Naruto looked over at her thoughtfully before speaking up.

"We all thought that he was fifteen and judged his chakra reserves based on that. But because he was really five, using the Henge no Jutsu was easier because it was easier for him to use." Naruto said, thinking it through, "We couldn't sense it because the chakra amount was really low, but because we thought he was fifteen, and not actually five, we couldn't detect the Henge no Jutsu. Konohamaru has impressive reserves."

"You know, this was entirely your fault, Naruto." Ayame spoke up tiredly, "My first kiss, and it would've been with a five-year-old."

"Well technically, it wouldn't have been your first kiss." Naruto replied slowly, feeling pretty tired himself.

"Shut- shut up! That doesn't count; I was young and didn't know any better." Ayame stuttered back at him.

"What's that?" Yuugao asked, curious as to what Naruto meant. It wasn't Naruto that replied, but Ayame herself.

"Well, when I first took Naruto in, I was a bit too young to know the difference between kissing on the cheeks and the… _lips_." Ayame whispered the last word. Yuugao gaped at her.

"Naruto was your first kiss?" she asked gleefully. She leered at Naruto, delighted at this new weapon that she had against him.

"Ugh, please don't remind me. Thankfully, tousan told me not to do it anymore." Ayame said, shuddering slightly. As if it was contagious, Naruto shuddered as well.

"Let's not talk about this." he spoke up, thoroughly disturbed.

"Mou, what about me Naruto? Where's _my_ kiss?" Yuugao asked teasingly. Naruto covered his ears tightly.

"La la la la la, I can't hear you!" he sang. Soon enough, Ayame would also join in, and the two would tease Naruto like cats that played with their food well into the night, bringing the day to a close.

Peering past the curtains through his window, Teuchi regarded the three of them with a smile. Then he nodded to himself reassuringly.

'_Nobody's_ good enough for _my_ daughter."

* * *

Chapter 4.5 – Interlude: Ayame's Date – Terminating

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Practically nothing was changed. Even the references to GTO are still there. Keep on reading, people.

knuckz


	8. 05: Seal Princess Technique

Come Full Circle  
by: knuckz

* * *

Summary: Ninjas use taijutsu to beat their opponents down, genjutsu to disillusion them, ninjutsu to destroy them or heal them, and weaponry for quick kills. Some specialize in specific areas, and exceed in that talent, while others keep a general base in all aspects. As such, there are general ninja's and nin-, tai-, and genjutsu masters respectively. This was before Uzumaki Naruto became a ninja. For the first time, there will be a fuuinjutsu specialist.

* * *

"blah" – talking

'blah' – thinking

* * *

**MegaB** had previously beta'd this chapter. I changed some stuff, of course, but kudos to him. Go read his 'Konoha: Naruto's Playground'; an amazing story it is. And the sequel should be excellent as well, 'Konoha: At His Fingertips'.

* * *

Chapter 05 – Seal Princess Technique - Commencing

* * *

Kakashi couldn't help but laugh, even as his eye flew back to his novel.

"Well, you certainly seem to be an interesting person to have as a sensei." he told her. Aoi grinned at his comment.

"Think he'll like it?" she asked him, spinning around once as if showing off her clothes. Kakashi didn't give her a reply, but there was still an aura of hilarity around him.

"So why _did_ you give Naruto to me? Not that I mind, of course. But I'm curious nonetheless. I mean, your sensei pretty much acknowledged the boy as his own legacy, and even trusted the future of Konoha with him." Aoi asked.

'You have no idea how close to the truth you really are, Aoi.' Kakashi thought. It should have been blatantly obvious, yet nobody seemed to have realized that Naruto wasn't just some boy that the Yondaime had chosen; Naruto was his son. After all, the Yondaime could only really rely on someone of his own flesh and blood to hold back perhaps the greatest non-human force to ever plague the world.

Or perhaps people just didn't want to accept the truth.

It could have been said that Namikaze Minato was a rather cocky ninja that thought much of his own skills. It was true, but the Yondaime had the right to be proud. After all, his power was often compared to that of the Sage of the Six Paths. If he hadn't left this world so unfortunately, Kakashi was sure that the Yondaime would have eventually surpassed even the creator of ninjutsu.

The Yondaime Hokage certainly did have a legendary legacy, and Naruto would be another proof of it; Kakashi could feel it in his bones. Naruto would surpass the Yondaime.

"Well, it depends on if he passes or not." Kakashi replied nonchalantly, "How did your meeting with him go?"

Aoi grinned at the memory.

"Well… to tell you the truth, it was a rush. I practically rode him the whole time!" Aoi said. Kakashi looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"…Rode him? What do you mean by that?" Kakashi asked, his voice strangely subdued.

"As in, I was riding him like a pony for the entire time. Well, there was this brief moment where he was on top, but that went by pretty quickly. I like being on top, and let me tell you, it sure was a _bouncy_ ride!" Aoi grinned at him, thinking back to the race that Naruto had with Akane. He had won just barely.

Kakashi stared at her blankly for a moment. Then suddenly clenched his fist in front of him.

'Naruto, you've made me so proud!' he thought, tears falling theatrically from his only visible eye, 'Bagging such a hot woman!'

Aoi chuckled at his reaction.

"So I'm guessing your team is waiting for you?" Aoi asked him.

It was still morning, probably around 8:00 AM if Kakashi had judged the position of the sun correctly. His own team had been waiting for him since 5:00 AM as he had instructed, so he'd probably go meet them in about an hour. They'd be angry, that was for sure, but after waiting for him for three hours yesterday, they should have done enough research to know he'd be late again.

Then again, if they disobeyed him and met up with him after the time he had appointed, his shadow clone would dispel and he would purposefully get there before they did. And of course, they'd suffer the consequences. It definitely wasn't fair, but that's why it was fun. Jounin were allowed to play their mind games after all.

"Well… I'll probably meet up with them in an hour." Kakashi replied. Aoi snorted in amusement.

"It's been a long time, Kakashi." Aoi said, smiling sincerely at him.

"Hmm…" was Kakashi's only reply. Kakashi definitely did know her. It was back when he had just acquired his Sharingan. His sensei and he were given a rescue mission for a genin team that had been caught between a rock and a hard place. Or rather, Stone ninjas and a hard place. It was an unusual mission for two jounin-level ninja to receive, especially one of such legendary skill as the to-be Yondaime Hokage, but there had been a Main-house Hyuuga member on the team, and village politics required that she (or at the very least her body) be brought back safe and sound, lest the enemy acquire the Byakugan. That particular Hyuuga was Aoi.

Of course, it was never that simple. The mission hadn't gone as expected, and the result was the Yondaime having to rescue Aoi from a gruesome fate of rape, dissection, and eventually death. Her teammates however, didn't return. The actual story was much more complicated than that or so he heard, but as he and the Yondaime had been separated during the course of the mission, he didn't know it.

Kakashi cleared his head of these thoughts; they weren't his to dwell upon.

"And what about the rest of your team?" Kakashi asked. Aoi waved him off.

"I've known the other two for ages. Well, Hikari obviously since she's family, but Akane is her best friend, so she's a regular at the compound." Aoi explained.

"Then… it seems as if Naruto is the odd one out." Kakashi surmised, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Aoi frowned, though it was in partial agreement.

"Well… as far as I know, Hikari and Akane aren't discriminated against him despite the negative light Naruto's been portrayed in." Aoi said, her tone slightly signifying disapproval, "But I don't think they associated with him during their years in the Academy, so there is still a gap between them."

"They get along and are friendly with each other, but they aren't really _friends_ yet. I think that, subconsciously, they're just trying to get along because they know that they'll have to work together, and they don't have any previous animosity between them, so that helps. Of course, they wouldn't really become good friends in just a day, so it's probably as good as it gets." Aoi said. Kakashi's eye had travelled back to his orange book during her explanation, so she couldn't be too sure if he had actually listened or not, but he probably heard.

"And in terms of skill?"

"Hikari is already a decent kunoichi; she has excellent chakra control but that's to be expected of most Hyuuga. I've been secretly watching her develop her own taijutsu-style using Jyuuken so she doesn't know that I know, but she's sort of made a bastardized fighting style based on mine." Aoi explained, not even caring that she was giving away her genin's fighting-style to a person that Hikari didn't even know.

"Akane however; she just plain sucks. Her chakra control is slightly less than average in ratio to her reserves, and her taijutsu is by the book, but she's slow and weak. Even in terms of running she's way too slow. Her moves are easy to read, and she panics even in spars. Even her mindset is all wrong; she's too outgoing and trusting. She's definitely not ready; just fodder at the moment. But, she has a lot of determination. With a little, well… _a lot_ of help, she could go far, considering she's an Uchiha. But not yet. If Naruto weren't dead-last, she'd have been it for sure."

Aoi frowned, this time with angry undertones.

"I really worry about her, despite her being from an 'enemy' clan." Aoi said, simulating quotation marks with her fingers, "She tries to hide it, but I know that her clan resents her and scolds her for not living up to their damn standards. Hell, they've even done it publicly! Sadly enough, my clan can be the same."

Akane did, however, have a lot of pride. But even that could be, and had been, broken. Aoi could count on one hand the number of times that she had held Akane to sleep through the painful, tear-filled nights, trying to help her cope with the rejection of her own family. And Aoi could certainly sympathize with the girl; she knew the feeling. But that was something too personal; Kakashi had, in his own way, asked her for a basic run-down of Naruto's possible team, but Aoi could never betray Akane's trust like that.

"And of Naruto?" Kakashi asked, not wanting to go deeper into the miseries of the Uchiha.

"From what I've seen so far, I'm honestly a bit disappointed." Aoi said, closing her eyes and smiling as if in resignation, "I knew that he was labelled the dead-last, but I took it with a grain of salt. But, when I observed him later… his hands have no calluses, and his frame is wiry, as if he doesn't have much physical conditioning. And his chakra control is extremely poor, but that's to be expected, since he has a lot of chakra. He seems as determined as Akane, but I don't think he's ready either."

"As much as I want this team to pass, it doesn't look like it'll work." Aoi finished off. Kakashi hummed in response.

"Well, you won't know until you test them. They may surprise you yet. It's best not to write them off early." Kakashi advised her. She _obviously_ had the wrong idea about Naruto.

"Yeah, what about you, one-eye? Going to fail your team again?" Aoi said, poking fun at him.

"Actually, I think that this team will pass." Kakashi rebuked, not looking up from his book, "Uchiha Shinji is the key. Uchiha Sasuke is willing to work with him, and he'll be willing to work with Haruno Sakura. She's, unfortunately, a fan-girl, but that might work in their favour. She probably dreams about the fact that Sasuke needed her for something, no matter how trivial."

Aoi pouted at his quick explanation.

"No fair, I have to go on and on about my team, and you conclude yours in like ten seconds!" she complained. Kakashi chuckled, though Aoi wasn't sure whether it was at her comment or at something he read in his _Icha Icha_.

"Well, I guess I should probably leave a little bit earlier than expected. My team's probably irritated enough already." Kakashi said in his usual bored tone, "Though I'll probably take my time and walk there. Don't want to sprain anything, now do I?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I should probably head over to field nine. I didn't book it or anything, so I'll have to kick off any stragglers that are there." Aoi said, "But, honestly, Kakashi, show a little enthusiasm! You always sound so bored!"

"Hmm… hey, next time you have 'fun' with Naruto, do you mind video-taping?" Kakashi asked, suddenly enthusiastic, "Actually, why don't you forget about that midget and the two of us can have some fun together?"

When Kakashi erupted in smoke after Aoi struck him with her Jyuuken, she wasn't too surprised that the Kakashi that she had been talking to for so long had been a Kage Bunshin.

Elite jounin like Kakashi were tricky like that.

* * *

"Yuugao-neechan."

Yuugao looked over at Naruto, who was stretching out in preparation for his upcoming battle. She had been surprised to learn that Naruto had not gone to Kakashi, who was sure to get him. Naruto had barely ever been in class so he became the dead-last by default, but Yuugao didn't scold him for it, mainly because of his training. There was also the fact that she had heard through the grapevine that Kakashi would get Uchiha Sasuke, who was most likely going to be the rookie of the year; so the dead-last would also be on his team. Meaning Naruto.

With Kakashi actively participating in Naruto's training, Naruto would go much farther.

When Kakashi had told her that he had traded Naruto for someone else, she had been furious. And after hearing Kakashi's explanation, her fury died into awe, at both the thought that Kakashi had invested into Naruto's future and also at the implications of what it would mean.

Naruto was on Aoi's team because of the Jyuuken.

Jyuuken had always been the prominent taijutsu style of the Hyuuga clan, mostly because it was created by them, and it was suited for their doujutsu, the Byakugan. The purpose of the Jyuuken, unlike other taijutsu styles, was to enter solidified chakra into the body of the opponent in order to cause internal damage, but more importantly, to be able to close the tenketsu, the points in the body which emitted chakra. Of course, only the Byakugan could view the tenketsu of a living being; for a non-Hyuuga ninja to close the tenketsu with Jyuuken required luck.

A ninja that relied on only luck to carry them through their battles would perish quickly.

Kakashi's idea was simplistic yet deadly in nature. Naruto needed to learn two main things. The idea behind tree-climbing, and Jyuuken.

The seals that Naruto could make using Fuuin-hime were all sustained in the air. They could only be made through his hands, and when he made hand-seals. Or in other words, during the ninjutsu/genjutsu process. Most fuuinjutsu seals required a solid surface to be tied down to, so the only ones that Naruto could really use at the moment were the supplementary seals for elemental-type ninjutsu, and of course, the Chakra Control Seal, which was a requirement for Fuuin-hime.

However, if Naruto could use the basis for the tree-climbing technique, and combine it with the Jyuuken, then his skill and threat could jump to a whole other level.

The tree-climbing training technique was one taught to all genin, and it was one of the most basic and useful of chakra control techniques. Using their chakra as a sort of glue, a ninja could stick themselves to vertical planes and ceilings. Usually, most ninja and kunoichi would accumulate the chakra to the soles of their feet, but Kakashi wanted Naruto learn to do it with his hands.

Combined with the longer-lasting effects of the Jyuuken, Naruto would effectively be able to etch seals from his Fuuin-hime technique into solid surfaces with just a touch; _including other human beings_. If he were to create a trigger-activated seal that could, say, corrode the blood-cells freshly pumped from the heart, he could literally kill anyone he wished with a simple touch. For example, an 'accidental' brush with the target of an assassination mission, and a simple tiger seal later for the _Jutsu Kai_, then "mission over" and nobody would be any wiser. A simple touch at the side of a mountain and a correctly timed Jutsu Kai? The Explosion Seal would cause an avalanche that could bury an entire league of enemy ninja.

Yuugao had laughed at the irony.

After he learned this technique, Naruto could essentially be considered as one of the most deadly ninja in the entire shinobi world! One of the most deadly ninja in the entire shinobi world, and he was only a genin that was considered to be the dead-last of his generation!

When he learned this skill, then the Seal Princess Technique would truly be a force to be reckoned with in and of itself.

"Yes, what is it?" Yuugao asked. She had to stop the smile that was threatening to form on her face; she was just so giddy at the thought of her little brother becoming that successful! However, the giddiness slipped away as she regarded the sad, solemn expression on Naruto's face.

"I was just thinking… is it worth it? Becoming a ninja?" Naruto asked, deadly serious. Yuugao couldn't hold back her shock.

'Wha-'

"Naruto, what are you talking about!" Yuugao immediately questioned him, her surprise twisting her tone to sound outraged.

"I'm really happy that I'm getting the chance to become a ninja, I am!" Naruto said, covering his tracks, "But, I've just… when I got home from meeting my sensei, I just started having second thoughts."

Yuugao felt anger bubble up inside her. Was his sensei another one of those people that judged him for containing the Kyuubi?

A lot of people still despised the boy. There were very few delusional people that thought Naruto to be the demon fox itself, but those people were always stupid to begin with, so nobody really took them seriously. However, Yuugao had been surprised to notice that many people in Konoha held neutrality against Naruto for containing the strongest of the bijuu. This would have to do, since she couldn't exactly convince someone to like him. But in the end, nobody seemed to like him.

He acted as if it didn't, but Yuugao could tell that it affected Naruto more than he let on. And it always confused him as to why they disliked him so.

Naruto still didn't know that he was the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.

"Is your sensei-"

"No." Naruto interrupted firmly; ebbing away Yuugao's anger immediately, "Aoi-sensei has nothing to do with it. In fact, her goal in life is to _christen_ my Hokage robes."

Yuugao decided that Naruto was joking with that last statement.

"What about becoming Hokage? Only a shinobi can become Hokage; the council would never let a civilian have such a position! Naruto, what is bringing this on!" Yuugao asked him, feeling extremely anguished, and rightly so.

Naruto had always been a determined person, even when he was a child. The only place that his determination had faltered had been in learning to trust others; but his time at the Academy had showed him that he could make bonds worth having with other people. But, to hear him talking about… just giving up…

"I never got a chance to tell you, what with everyone being so happy last night." Naruto started. Last night, Yuugao had gathered Ayame, Teuchi, and Kakashi and threw a party in honour of Naruto. It had been the wrong time to reveal it… it would ruin the happy mood that everyone had.

"Naoto-san was killed in the chuunin exams." Naruto told her, deciding to be blunt. Yuugao's eyes widened slightly, but that was the only sign of her surprise.

"He sacrificed his life to save Kaori's." he continued, but Yuugao interrupted.

"Are you… afraid to lose your life?" Yuugao asked him softly. She didn't think any less of him for it; every ninja feared for their lives at one point or another.

"That's not the specific reason, no. It's just that, one day, I'll be the person that tried to kill a Kaori, while another Naoto will die by _my_ hands for her." Naruto said, "I'll be ending the life of someone else who has teammates and comrades and friends and loved ones."

And Yuugao came to a startlingly horrifying realization.

She had been so consumed with the idea that Naruto would become one of the best ninja to have ever lived that she hadn't even thought of the implications of what it would mean to him. He would be ending lives; lives that other people _cherished_. It didn't matter if they were the enemy; it didn't even matter if it was one of the most despicable people in the world.

How would Naruto feel, if he could kill with just a touch? If he lost control of Fuuin-hime, and couldn't even touch someone anymore without it resulting in death?

But that was what a ninja did. Kill.

"Naruto; we kill them, so that they don't kill us. That is the harsh reality." Yuugao said, "Greed, pride, gluttony, lust, hatred, revenge; they exist in everyone. Some ninja fight for it. Some fight against it. Be glad that you are in Konoha; we fight against them. We are considered to be the 'good guys'."

"But, for enough money, even Konoha can become the bad guy." Naruto stated.

"Yes. But you can't escape it, even if you choose not to become a ninja. You will encounter it in your life; everybody will." Yuugao said, "However, it is how you handle it that counts. Will you run away, or will you face it head on?"

Naruto lowered his head in thought for a moment. Then he met her eyes.

"Yuugao-neechan. When I become Hokage, I'll change everything. Not only for Konoha, but for everyone." Naruto said, eyes blazing in determination. And it still awed Yuugao every time she saw it.

_The embodiment of the will of fire that was Uzumaki Naruto._

"Then, how about I give you a gift that might be of help to you on your way?" Yuugao stated, smiling at him. Naruto straightened at the thought of a gift.

"What is it!" he asked, excited. Yuugao leaned forward and kissed him on his forehead, above his left eye.

"You'll have that forever." she said. Her kiss denoted that he carried with him her love.

Naruto just stared at her blankly.

"No really, what is it?" he asked. A vein bulged in Yuugao's temple, signifying annoyance.

"Ahaha, I was joking!" Naruto said in panic, waving his hands about in a placating manner, before relaxing his features, "Thank you, Yuugao-neechan."

Yuugao hugged him in response. Naruto ignored the fact that his face was buried in her bust; this wasn't the moment to be thinking about something as foolish as that.

"I'm going to miss him." Naruto said, his voice muffled because of their embrace. He wasn't crying. He had yet to cry about Naoto's death.

"I know." was all Yuugao could say. The two siblings-in-all-but-blood held each other for a time that felt longer to both than it probably was.

"I've got to go." Naruto said suddenly, breaking away, "It's almost time for my fight."

Yuugao nodded in acceptance as she watched him scurry about gathering his things and putting on his sandals. With a wave and a grin, the golden-haired boy left the house. Yuugao's gaze lingered on the doorway where the boy had just been.

She loved him so much; more than she would a lover, more than she would a brother, more than she would a son. The title of 'brother' was as close as language could get to what she felt for him. And even then, she felt it was nowhere near close enough. She loved him as much as it was humanly possible without wanting to bed him.

'Do your best, love of my life.'

* * *

Naruto gaped at her.

"So, do you like what you see, Naruto-sama?" Aoi said, thrusting her hips from side to side.

Aoi was dressed in the exact same clothes that he was wearing. Her vest and shorts were almost the exact same shade of orange that his were, and she had exchanged her black spandex body-suit for a blue one, completing the look.

"I couldn't find it anywhere, so I was up all night making it!" Aoi told him. Hikari sighed in resignation, while Akane was oddly quiet.

Naruto looked at Aoi with a face that just said 'what, seriously?' There was a moment of silence where Aoi just grinned maniacally, before she spoke up.

"Okay, now onto the training ground! Let's go!" Aoi shouted, pumping her fist in the air with great exuberance. As they were about to leave, Naruto noticed that Akane looked a bit down. So he reached over and clapped a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him with surprise.

"Don't worry. We'll be fine." Naruto said, smiling at her. On the side, Hikari smiled softly at Naruto's action, and if they could have seen Aoi's face, they'd notice that she had a sad smile on her face. Aoi took off, leaving them behind.

Akane's face morphed into a softly smiling one.

"Yeah…" was all she said, though there wasn't any doubt left in her. With that, all three teammates, with Naruto in the lead, sprinted after their (hopefully) to-be sensei.

The four shinobi ran thorough the forested training grounds, leaping from branch to branch, dodging between the leaves until they reached an area that was clear of trees.

"WE'RE HERE!" Aoi yelled out, suddenly stopping in her tracks at the sight of four other people in the clearing. Behind her Naruto skidded to a halt behind her, and behind him Hikari stopped right before she collided with him. Unfortunately, Akane did not have as much traction with the ground, and so she crashed into Hikari. And like dominoes, Hikari only went forward into Naruto, who ended up ramming into Aoi. The resulting effect was the entire team going down in a mess of tangled arms and legs.

A man in green stared at them. No… he stared at them with such overpowering strength and might, that even the ever-burning flames of hell itself might recoil in awe!

His name was Maito Gai.

As the four split apart, dizzy from their fall, three other people came up behind the green man. One of them was perhaps his much-younger twin, for he looked and dressed the same as him. With the flames of youth burning in his eyes was Rock Lee.

Another boy, with eyes of white and long brown hair that hung over his beige vest, looked down at the fallen shinobi with a blank expression giving nothing away. He was Hyuuga Neji.

The last member of their team was a female in a traditional _pink_ dress; her hair was done up in two buns and her large brown eyes gazed at the four. Tenten looked at them in bemusement.

Aoi was the first to act. She broke apart from the three genin-hopeful genin and stood up, smiling mischievously at them.

"Ara… was that your plan? You'd team up and seduce me into victory? My, my, how… _forward_ of you." Aoi said, before turning to the man whose youth was brightly burning even now, "Okay, clear out Gai. I need the field."

The mushroom-headed Gai clone frowned at Aoi's command.

"Gai-sensei, do you know her? She seems rather rude and un-youthful." the boy said with a slight look of disdain on his face. Naruto looked at him, recognizing the boy.

'Rock Lee…' he looked over at the only Hyuuga male currently present, 'This is your rival?'

He was one of Naruto's only friends during his time at the Academy, along with Naoto. From what Naruto remembered, his friend was excellent at taijutsu; Naruto didn't understand why he had a rivalry with his teammate.

Neji, noticing Naruto's gaze, looked back at him, not reacting at all. His face remained as impassive as ever. But soon enough, they averted their eyes back to the conversation. Tenten frowned slightly at their altercation, but said nothing.

Aoi grinned at the proclaimed genius of hard work.

"Now, now, I don't worry too much about being un-youthful at the moment." she started, slinking her arm around Naruto's shoulder, "Naruto-sama is youthful enough for the both of us!"

Naruto had a feeling where this was going, and he knew it wouldn't end well. And judging by the expression on Hikari's face, she did as well. Akane remained as blissfully ignorant as she always did.

"And besides, Naruto-sama can give me some of his 'youth' whenever he wants to fuck me silly!" Aoi said huskily, accompanying it with a saucy wink. Tenten and Neji looked at her with flabbergasted and annoyed looks respectively.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee proclaimed, "She... such an un-youthful comment!"

"Lee, it is okay. You must remember that not everyone will carry the fires of youth as you do! But keep burning brightly, so that everyone may feel your youthfulness!" Gai said, shooting Aoi an annoyed glance. She just closed her eyes, tilted her head to the side, and waved merrily at him, smiling as if she had no clue what she had just done.

"Come my students; let us depart so that even our successors may drink from the fountain of youth!" Gai beckoned to his students, obviously knowing of the new Team Nine. Hikari looked at Neji who looked back at her coldly. Hikari's brow furrowed as Neji's eyes flickered to Akane, but he spun and jumped away before anything could be said. Tenten, surprised at his abrupt leave jumped after him, and eventually Gai and Lee followed their team, leaving only the to-be teammates.

"Now, it's time for us to start. I'll explain your goal." Aoi said, pulling out a small rectangular keychain with a phrase on it (which was too small for Naruto to read at his distance), "This is one of my most precious items. It'll be your job to retrieve it."

"Remember, your top priority is to show me that you can handle being a genin while working together as a team. Getting this keychain is your secondary objective." Aoi said. She pulled on her orange shorts that were a replica of Naruto's and to the exasperation of everyone else there, tucked the keychain inside, most likely in an inside pocket. Then she grinned.

"I'll give you some advice: don't think that it'll be easy to get into my pants… I mean shorts… I mean…" Aoi said, before pouting, "Aww man! I had that planned out so nicely too. Darn!"

Naruto, Hikari, and Akane glanced at each other, nodding. Aoi looked at them in mild wonderment.

'Do they already have something planned?' Aoi thought to herself, 'Well, they can at least get together and plan something, but how well will they be organized in the field?'

"Well, get ready… and GO!"

Akane and Hikari rushed forward, pulling kunai from their pouches simultaneously. The bulge around Hikari's eyes indicated that she was taking this seriously, though Aoi had no such bulge. Aoi regarded their charge calmly, not reacting at all, not even activating her Byakugan.

Naruto stayed behind with his hands in a ready position for the Kage Bunshin, though he did no jutsu noticeably. Aoi was a bit surprised that he might know the Shadow Clone Technique, but considered the idea that he was just bluffing because he had not formed any clones yet.

'So they must have met up beforehand and made up a plan.' Aoi said, as Hikari and Akane converged in on her. She got into a position which would allow her to intercept both of their attacks based on their speed. Hikari would gain on her first, being the superior fighter, while Akane would end up being close-up support and Hikari's defence.

Aoi knew.

But as Aoi awaited the first attack, Hikari suddenly threw her kunai at Aoi's chest. Aoi was not surprised at this sudden change in attack, as she avoided Hikari's kunai by stepping away when Akane threw her kunai as well. Aoi sighed sadly, as she didn't need to move at all to dodge the poorly thrown weapon.

Akane's kunai pierced the ground behind Aoi, sticking up from the ground.

'She still needs a lot of work.' Aoi thought, as Hikari stopped her charge, most likely because Akane had messed up, 'Failing to properly execute a plan like that w-'

Hikari burst out of the marked ground right behind Aoi with multiple kunai ready for attack.

Aoi spun around in surprise, readying her hands for attacking and defending, when the first Hikari jumped forward and yanked her hands backwards. The kunai that had come out of the ground with the second Hikari suddenly jolted towards Aoi. She jerked her hands back and forth, and as if by magic, the kunai followed her movements, speeding and slicing at Aoi.

Aoi dove to the side, spinning wildly, avoiding all the kunai as they zipped through her legs and past her torso. But Hikari gave another jerk, and a kunai shot straight for Aoi's face. Aoi tilted her head to the side, and watched, wide-eyed as the flat of the single kunai rubbed her cheek as it shot by.

Akane flung another kunai, aimed right at where Aoi was set to land, as if marking the spot. And right before Aoi landed, another Akane burst out of the pierced ground, arms outstretched as if to capture her, but Aoi's braided hair suddenly shot out, wrapping around the new Akane's arms flinging her towards one of the Hikari's.

'This is almost like… _Hiraishin!_' Aoi thought frantically.

As the pair of girls collided, Aoi used the momentum gained from the throw to stick to a nearby tree, lest anymore people erupt from the ground.

Hikari and Akane burst into smoke, leaving the presumably real Hikari and Akane, both of whom glared at Aoi defiantly.

And Aoi definitely was surprised. She observed the three genin as they ran back to each other, once again forming a line.

Her shock ebbing away, Aoi jumped to the ground activating her Byakugan just in case. She looked around the area, underneath the ground but noticed nothing out of the ordinary. There were no tunnels beneath the ground, so they hadn't been digging around. Then exactly what had happened?

Aoi had no more time to ponder on it, as Hikari threw another kunai, this one aimed at Aoi's hips.

'That kunai is saturated with chakra!' Aoi thought, as she moved her hip to the side, letting the kunai embed itself into the tree behind her. Then with an explosion of bark, a clone of Hikari burst forward after Aoi. She didn't even turn around, as one of her braids suddenly struck the new Hikari in the chest, dispelling it. And like that, Aoi understood the trick.

'They're clever. They tried to trick me into believing that they were using a high-speed transportation technique, when these kunai were all just Kage Bunshin. Naruto stayed back to confuse me, while Hikari and Akane attacked with his Kage Bunshin. But now that I know, what will you do?' Aoi thought, feeling very pleased at the thought that they had put into this.

"I know what you're doing. It's a good use of Kage Bunshin, but now I have my Byakugan activated, and it won't work. Your trick is gone; what are you going to do?" Aoi asked, her voice lacking the usual cheerfulness that it usually contained.

"I guess it's my turn. Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto said, stepping forward. He formed a hand seal, and several clones fazed into existence. Aoi regarded him with surprise and close scrutiny.

'What in the world was that!' Aoi thought, thoroughly confused, 'His chakra was perfectly controlled; not a drop was wasted! And what was that symbol that formed?"

Aoi put her confusion to the side; she could find out later. It was time to focus at the moment.

"I'm sure you know the properties of the Byakugan, Naruto. Your clones can't confuse my eyes. Why bother?" Aoi said, but she did observe something weird. While his clones were all stable, there was just something odd about them; the flow of chakra for the technique was different than that of the usual Bunshin technique.

But she had no more time to think about it as the all the different Naruto's charged after her. Aoi regarded them, confident yet wary for any sort of trick. They were definitely regular, non-solid clones, but the boy must have had something up his sleeve if he just charged at her even while knowing that she could tell him apart from his clones.

But it didn't seem like Naruto had any plans, as a clone rushed at her, aiming a kick at her torso. Aoi ignored it, keeping focus on the real Naruto until…

'What the!'

Suddenly, the attacking clone became the real body, and the real body became the clone!

It was only due to her quick reflexes and experience that Aoi was able to grab the kick, but then she blinked as the Naruto's kick just went through her hand and another attacking clone suddenly became real.

'Damn it!'

Aoi bent over backwards, avoiding the roundhouse. She felt the force behind the kick as the wind hit her face in a pleasant breeze.

The first clone became the real Naruto once more as he grabbed her leg, and Aoi, finally making contact with the boy, swung her other leg to knock the boy away, using her arms to support herself on the ground. Just as her kick would have made contact, the boy fazed through, and Aoi used the moment of her kick to twirl around like a break-dancer, with her legs acting as helicopter blades, effectively blocking off any possible attacks. And she came to a conclusion.

'I can't fight him like this.'

So as she twirled around, Aoi used her arms to push off the ground and launched herself a good 15 feet into the air, spinning into an upright position that would effectively help her guard against any attacks.

Akane came down from above her hoping to attack Aoi while she was in the air and unable to move, but Aoi had already seen her. Aoi's braided hair whipped out and wrapped around Akane's torso, and threw her towards the incoming Naruto clones while launching herself higher up. Akane made a desperate grab for Aoi's orange shorts on her way down, but Aoi was already too far away.

Meanwhile, Hikari jumped through Naruto's clones, one of which suddenly became solid. Her hand landed in his, and he spun her around and launched her higher.

Hikari's hand reached out to Akane's, as they met in mid-air, and Akane threw her further up. Letting her hands dangle for a bit, Hikari suddenly jerked them both upwards with a grunt of exertion, and again, as if by magic, both Naruto and Akane came up beside her.

The three genin-hopefuls sailed upwards towards Aoi, who had reached the apex of her leap. Aoi had watched the whole thing, astonished at how well the three had worked together.

'Their abilities go together really well! This is… this is amazing!' Aoi thought as her descent started, 'I'd never have imagined this!'

On the way up, Naruto had formed more clones, but this time there were Kage Bunshin mixed along with his Kawarimi Bunshin. They'd need all the help they could get.

'This is it!' he thought, 'It has to be now, when she's most vulnerable!'

Naruto, Hikari, and Akane had planned this from the beginning. A shinobi was usually at their most vulnerable in the air, so that was the best advantage that they could have gotten. Their goal from the beginning had been to get Aoi airborne one way or another.

Naruto had met his future teammates a bit earlier in the morning to supply them with his shadow-clones-turned-kunai, whose main basis was to confuse Aoi. The Byakugan could not tell the difference between shadow clones and the original, so Naruto would purposely transform into copies of Hikari and Akane when dispelled from being kunai.

Akane would throw the kunai into the ground, and the clone would suddenly burst out of the ground, hopefully leading Aoi into the air. The kunai-turned-clone would then have even more kunai, which Hikari would control, sending them after Aoi, and hopefully, the non-stop assault would keep her off balance enough to take to the sky.

Hikari had been working on improving the regular Hyuuga taijutsu style by using chakra strings in conjunction with weapons. With it, she could control weapons at the same time as using her Jyuuken, making it a very deadly taijutsu style. Hikari had gotten the idea from Aoi, who could control her braids as if they were extra limbs. Aoi's style was still a step ahead of Hikari's, as Aoi could actually close tenketsu even with her braids, but Hikari did have an advantage over range.

If that didn't work, then Naruto would come in and overwhelm Aoi with his Kawarimi Bunshin fighting-style. This was their final resort, and if this did not work, then they would have to reconvene and plan something on the fly.

But it _had_ worked, and they had to capitalize on it.

The two opposing sides came closer and closer, until simultaneously, Akane, Hikari, and Naruto (and his clones) attacked.

The next thing they knew, all of Naruto's clones had been destroyed, and all three of them were sent sailing to the ground with nary a clue of what had happened.

Three large thuds later and subsequent yelps of pain indicated the three genin hitting the ground with heavy force. Aoi on the other hand, landed lightly like a cat. She observed the three genin, who continued to lie down in pain.

'You've already passed guys.' But Aoi didn't say it out loud because she wanted to see what else they could do. This was fun; the ideas that they created, the overwhelming teamwork that they had shown, as well as Naruto's devastating fighting style.

Meanwhile, Naruto sat up with a groan.

'What the hell happened?' he thought, 'We were winning, and then she just reacted faster than any of us could see! How do we go against that!'

He was _sure_ that they were going to win, and couldn't help but feel angry that his plan had backfired.

Naruto wasn't used to being wrong.

"Naruto!" Hikari called. Naruto's head turned towards the sound of her voice, eyes wide and body tense. She had collected Akane, and the two were now running towards him. Naruto flipped to a standing position quickly. They needed to regroup.

"We have to get away!" Hikari said. But suddenly, Aoi appeared between Hikari and Akane, and Naruto.

"Don't think I'm just going to let you guys recover. What kind of test would this be? I won't let you." Aoi said, smirking at them. Naruto responded in kind.

"I won't let you!" he shouted, and he formed a cross-shaped hand seal. All of the females regarded him with wide eyes as he formed a massive amount of chakra. Aoi, rather than stopping him, paid close attention to his hands.

'There again! There's some sort of… seal, and his chakra suddenly just calms down and there's not a drop wasted! How is he doing that?' Aoi thought. In the future, Aoi would often reflect that she should have worried about such things at a later time and focused on the technique he would use.

"_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

It must have been close to a thousand clones that formed, as the clearing was suddenly filled with orange-vested Narutos. All of the clones surrounded her as the original met up with Hikari and Akane at the side. Aoi regarded them, as impossible as it sounded, without a worry in the world.

Akane, Hikari, and even Naruto looked dumbfounded by the sheer amount of clones that he had created, as they ran off to the side to meet up.

Then, all of the shadow clones converged in on the sole jounin, as if there were a giant tsunami of orange, threatening to crash down upon her. And she smirked.

Her stance shifted. She stretched her arms wide apart in the traditional Jyuuken stance. Her braids rose up one by one in a stance indicating that they were ready to strike; as if she was Medusa and they were her snakes.

Naruto's clones got even closer. Aoi's smirk widened.

"_Hakke: Issen Seppun!_"

Aoi tore through the clones, dispersing dozens upon dozens of clones in a mere matter of seconds. But the clones kept on coming, and they didn't seem to be stopping, yet neither did Aoi. Her hands were blurred in movement, and her hair moved in tandem, acting as several extra hands.

Naruto, Hikari, and Akane regarded her in shock, all thought of forming a new plan forgotten as Naruto's clones were eliminated at a rate that they didn't think was possible.

Aoi kept moving and moving, her hands and hair lashing out at blurring speeds, snapping back and forth, destroying clones before they even knew what had happened.

All three genin looked on in awe. They watched as Aoi decimated what seemed like half the clones in about thirty seconds. And she wasn't stopping.

And Naruto felt something that he hadn't felt for a long time.

Despair.

How could they go up against something like that? No matter what plan they pulled, no matter how many clones he made, Aoi could easily destroy them with just a single technique.

But if there was just one thing that Naruto had learned from his life, it was to not give up in the face of despair. He hadn't before, and he wouldn't now.

So he watched Aoi's movements. And he realized something.

"Hikari." Naruto said softly, "Right now, she's not defending herself. With so many attackers, she's focusing all of her concentration on attacking. If what you told me about the Byakugan is correct, then with all my clones surrounding her, she won't be focused on what we're doing at this distance."

Aoi continued to dance.

"She won't notice my chakra strings at this distance." Hikari murmured, "I don't know if I can do this, but…"

Hikari's eyes narrowed in concentration as she stretched out her fingers, extending a string of chakra. Naruto and Akane watched on in anxiety, even though they could not see chakra as the two Hyuuga could.

The single string extended and extended; Hikari could feel it wavering, but it continued to extend. She held onto it, her desire to pass Aoi's test still strong. But her chakra began to diminish, and pretty soon, the string would die out.

And Aoi continued to dance.

"Damn it! My chakra is running out." Hikari whispered, gritting her teeth. She couldn't let it die out! Her dreams, Akane's dreams, and Naruto's dreams depended on this. So she willed herself to hold on, to keep squeezing out chakra.

But it was no use.

'No! It's going to die…' Hikari thought. It was almost enough to put her to tears. Then she felt a hand take hers. Hikari looked to the person.

It was Akane.

Akane grinned at her teammate; the same grin that Hikari knew so well.

"Don't worry so much Hikari!" Akane said cheerfully, "You don't have to do everything alone, you know?"

Hikari smiled back at her, feeling better at once. Akane was her best friend, and could somehow always cheer her up no matter the circumstances. Then she sighed.

"Thanks, Akane, but you just broke my concentration." Hikari said, "It's gone."

Akane's grin went slack as she looked at Hikari with her mouth open. Naruto put his face into his palm.

"Oi oi, you guys!" Aoi called, having finished her dance. A single struggling Naruto was wrapped up in her hair, which was floating above her head.

"I've seen enough!" Aoi said, skipping over to them. The three genin watched her advance hopelessly, no doubt believing that they had failed. Aoi reached them fairly quickly.

Aoi looked at each of them, one at a time. The Naruto wrapped up in her hair had stopped struggling, obviously having given up escaping her grip.

"I've only got one thing to tell you three." Aoi said. The three crushed genin said nothing. She lowered the Naruto clone until they were at face level, and tenderly kissed him on the cheek. The clone suddenly erupted in smoke at the Jyuuken strike delivered through Aoi's lips, and the real Naruto blushed when the experience came back to him.

"You passed." Aoi said, her voice cutting through their silence. All three looked at her in shock, then at each other, not believing what they had heard.

There was a moment of disbelieving silence. Then…

"YES!" Akane screamed, as she jumped into Aoi's arms. Tears of joy were streaming down her face, and she hugged Aoi with all the strength she could muster, sobbing into her vest. Aoi just smiled serenely, and stroked her hair softly as she hugged the girl back. Hikari sank to the floor, and lay down on the grass, exhausted yet relieved.

Naruto fell back right beside her; the adrenaline had left him, and now he was exhausted. He and Hikari turned their heads to one another, and he felt a glimmering emotion flicker into life deep within his being. It was so small, like a flame with hardly any fuel or an electric lamp with dodgy wiring. Yet for all its fragility it was...

It was a connection worth having. It wasn't the same thing he felt with Yuugao or Ayame, but it was still something that made him feel good; there was nothing like fighting alongside someone that built bonds.

Akane let go of Aoi, and lay down as well, worming her way into the middle. Her hands reached out and grabbed both Hikari's and Naruto's. Naruto noticed that her hands were warm and slightly clammy, indicating that she had been worried, but he ignored it.

They had passed; they were teammates now, and, even better, they were friends. They were Team Nine, and despite not having retrieved the keychain from Aoi, they would strive to become the best they could be, both individually and as a team.

That was all that mattered.

* * *

"Kakashi."

"Team Seven passes."

Most of the surrounding ninja looked at him in surprise. He had never previously passed a team before, but it seemed that he had finally found a team that was worthy enough to meet his expectations.

The Hokage continued to wait for Kakashi's explanation.

"The trouble was that Uchiha Sasuke was unwilling to work with Haruno Sakura, who would only work with Sasuke. Uchiha Shinji brought them together, and the three showed adequate teamwork, though they did not manage to get any bells." Kakashi explained, not taking his eyes off of his book, much to the Hokage's annoyance.

"Kurenai."

"Hai. Team Eight passes. My test was one of tracking. Inuzuka Kiba was adamant about going about it alone at first, but Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata managed to convince him to work together. With their combined skills, they were able to find me." the red-eyed, dark-haired beauty explained diligently, though there was an almost unnoticeable frown on her face, most likely at the fact that Kakashi was reading his book, rather than address the Hokage as a shinobi should.

"Asuma."

"Passed. Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji were willing to work with each other from the beginning, and Yamanaka Ino just bossed them around. Together, they were able to complete the task that I assigned to them." Asuma said.

The Sandaime Hokage nodded in acceptance. So far, only these three teams had passed. Teams One to Six had failed, but the Hokage had already expected that. Only one team remained.

"Well, we are still waiting for-"

Aoi chose that moment to burst through the door. Some of the jounin tensed at her sudden appearance, but relaxed when they noticed who it was. The more experienced jounin, such as Kakashi and Gai hadn't reacted at all.

And everyone stared at her choice in clothing.

"You're late." the Hokage said disapprovingly. Aoi waved him off.

"Yeah, yeah, my bad, Hokage-sama! Let's hurry this up!" she said. This time, Kurenai openly showed her distaste at Aoi's blatant disrespect of the Hokage.

The Sandaime sighed.

"Aoi. Explain, please."

"Team Nine passes! Later!" Aoi spun around, eager to leave, but the Hokage shot her a warning look, which made her freeze on the spot like a child caught with her hands in the cookie jar.

"Fine, fine. Well, the test was to see if any of them could get into my pants. They were pretty eager, but they didn't manage to do it. They made a good effort though, so I passed them! Can I go now?" Aoi asked, pouting petulantly. Almost all the jounin looked at her in shock.

What kind of test had she administered?

"Go ahead." Kakashi said, not looking up from his book. Aoi saluted the S-rank ninja and took off abruptly. The Hokage shot Kakashi an annoyed look.

"And since when are you allowed to dismiss my shinobi, Kakashi?" the Hokage asked gruffly. Kakashi looked up in what seemed to be surprise.

"Huh? Oh, I was just talking to myself. Heh, sorry about that." Kakashi said, chuckling. Then he turned back to his book.

The Sandaime sighed in exasperation.

'I'm getting too old for this.'

* * *

Aoi jumped onto Naruto's shoulders once more.

"Heh, yeah, sorry about that." Aoi said. She had run into the Hokage's tower to take care of some quick business, or so she said.

"Hey, Aoi, what was on that keychain anyway?" Akane asked curiously. Aoi blinked for a second, then plunged her hand down the front of her shorts. She pulled out the keychain, and handed it over to the blushing Naruto, who couldn't help but think of where Aoi's hand had just been.

"It's one of my most precious items." Aoi stated.

Naruto looked it over. In bright orange writing, the keychain read, 'Naruto's Bitch'. Blushing, he gave it to Akane, who also blushed upon reading the words.

Aoi had been adamant about the team spending some time together. She had also been extremely intrigued by Naruto's Seal Princess Technique.

When Naruto had explained, Aoi had been noticeably impressed, even more so than Akane and Hikari had been when he had explained his abilities to them. Truthfully, the two girls had been more impressed by his usage of Kage Bunshin than the Seal Princess Technique, but they didn't really understand the implications of the fact that Naruto could form seals on the spot.

Also, when Naruto had explained it, Aoi had also understood what Kakashi wanted her to teach Naruto.

The Jyuuken.

She would still need to get more information, but she understood the basic concept of Kakashi's idea. And she understood what it could mean.

So as the team walked together, yammering about this and that, laughing together, Aoi looked down upon the golden-haired boy with a proud smile.

'Yondaime-sama… he'll become strong. I can feel it.'

"Hey!" a shout from Akane brought Aoi out of her thoughts. Naruto, Hikari, and Aoi looked at her with questioning glances.

"I've been thinking… we need a team name!" Akane said.

"Hoh… what do you have in mind?" Aoi asked from her perch. One of her braids absentmindedly flicked a villager on his head when he had muttered something about Naruto.

"I was thinking that we need something frightening. How about: The Fearsome Foursome!" Akane shouted, striking a pose and grinning innocently at her idea.

Hikari sighed at Akane's suggestion. And Hikari also knew that Akane had no idea how she had set Aoi up (once again) for one of her jokes. But that innocence was one of Akane's most endearing qualities, and she wouldn't trade it for anything.

Aoi's resulting outburst was not surprising.

"FOURSOME? OH YEAH, I LIKE THAT IDEA!"

* * *

Chapter 05 – Seal Princess Technique – Terminating

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

_**Original Jutsu: **_

_**Kawarimi Bunshin**_ - _Replacement Clone_ : This is a special Bunshin no Jutsu that was taught to Naruto by Gensei Moshanise, its creator. It looks just like the regular Bunshin, and even has the same hand seals, but it allows the user to use the Kawarimi no Jutsu (Replacement Technique) with a Bunshin without a need for hand seals. Naruto's fighting style is based on this technique. The specifics behind it are unknown.

Users: Gensei Moshanise (deceased), Uzumaki Naruto, ?

* * *

_**Hakke: Issen Seppun**__ - Eight Trigrams: One Thousand Kisses_: This is Aoi's adaptation of the normal Main family technique, Hakke: Rokujuuyonshou (Eight Trigrams: Sixty Four Strikes). Using her hair as extra limbs, Aoi can perform one thousand Jyuuken strikes in succession. It is designed for battles against multiple enemies, not single ones, and can therefore leave her vulnerable if used against a single enemy.

Users: Hyuuga Aoi

* * *

My author's notes have been pretty short and crisp, but here's something I saved from the original:

"_In this story, the Kage Bunshin training method doesn't work with learning specific techniques. The thing with ninjutsu and genjutsu is that they require someone to mold chakra in a different way for each hand seal that the technique uses (for the purpose of this story). The Kage Bunshin method only works for when you're trying to learn a single way of molding chakra; you get the memory of that single method. If you have to learn how to mold your chakra for each individual seal at the same time, it would cause information to mix, which would just ruin the technique. Naruto used it to learn just the Chakra Control Seal, which is the only seal that Naruto can form by force and without chakra control. In canon, he was only focusing on adding wind element to the Rasengan. In the case of learning ninjutsu or genjutsu techniques, it would be easier to just learn it by himself through abstraction rather than use Kage Bunshin and trying to learn it seal by seal._"

There you have it. Anyway, not much to go. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!

Signing off is,

knuckz


	9. 06: Flame of Akane

Come Full Circle  
by: knuckz

* * *

Summary: Ninjas use taijutsu to beat their opponents down, genjutsu to disillusion them, ninjutsu to destroy them or heal them, and weaponry for quick kills. Some specialize in specific areas, and exceed in that talent, while others keep a general base in all aspects. As such, there are general ninja's and nin-, tai-, and genjutsu masters respectively. This was before Uzumaki Naruto became a ninja. For the first time, there will be a fuuinjutsu specialist.

* * *

"blah" – talking

'blah' – thinking

* * *

This chapter is currently **unbeta'd**. This message will be removed once it has been.

* * *

Chapter 06 – Flame of Akane – Commencing

* * *

"And then I kicked him in the nuts!"

Naruto couldn't help but wince in pity for the poor guy that had come across the force known as Hyuuga Aoi, as Akane and Aoi roared in laughter at Aoi's anecdote. Even Hikari smiled in amusement.

"Bwahahahaha! And then- and then- and then what happened!" Akane choked out, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

Today was Team Nine's first official day on the job. The four of them had gotten together in the morning and were now heading towards the Hokage's Tower to receive their first mission. And unlike Akane and Hikari, Naruto actually had somewhat of an idea of what newly-appointed genin actually did on missions, having witnessed some older genin doing these missions. Needless to say, Naruto wasn't exactly looking forward to it.

"Turns out, he only tried to ask me for directions to the Hokage's Tower." Aoi said from her perch on Naruto's shoulders, wiping her own eyes as well. Her team of genin chuckled at the brutal attack by Aoi on an innocent man.

"I almost created in international incident!" Aoi proclaimed. She and Akane exploded into laughter once again, much the shock of the onlookers walking around. Hikari shook her head in amusement, while Naruto struggled to keep from dropping Aoi; she was shaking the both of them in laughter.

After the laughter had died down, Aoi spoke up again, finishing off her story.

"The Hokage was so angry with me, hehe." Aoi said, her smile slowly turning into a frown, "It... wasn't so funny after that."

This time, all three genin erupted into laughter, much to Aoi's indignation.

* * *

"Yo, old man!" both Naruto and Aoi simultaneously yelled out, barging into the room. Sensei and student looked at each other in surprise as the Sandaime Hokage shook his head in exasperation.

'I don't know whether Aoi is like Naruto, or if Naruto is like Aoi. They're even _dressed_ the same.' he thought to himself resignedly.

There was a brief silence before Aoi, predictably, glomped Naruto.

"Kyaa! We're meant to be!" she gushed out, hugging Naruto for all he was worth. Naruto just crossed his arms and had a pouty look on his face as Aoi rubbed her cheek against his as if he were a cat that was to be cuddled.

Akane and Hikari walked into the room behind Naruto and Aoi.

"Hokage-sama!" Akane yelled out happily, jumping at the old man and gathering him into a hug. The Hokage did not take any offense to such an action of familiarity; it seemed as if he were used to it.

"Ah, how are you today, Akane-chan?" the Hokage asked, chuckling while hugging the loving girl back. Akane stepped away from her aged leader with an enormous smile on her face.

"I can't wait for my first mission! What'll it be?" Akane asked eagerly.

"Well, let's see..." the Hokage replied, opening up a scroll marked 'D', "Your first mission will be-"

"Do we have to sneak into an enemy base!" Akane cut him off, using a Henge to cover herself in a full black body-suit and tip-toeing across the room.

The aged Hokage opened his mouth to reply, but Akane cut him off before he could even speak.

"Or will we have to keep a look-out for invading nin!" This time, Akane reverted back to her original self, but with enormous glasses. She put her hand above her eyes in a sort of salute and stared out the window, as if she were staring at something in the distance.

"Actually-"

"We'll have to fight enemy nin to rescue a _daimyo_!" Akane got into a fighting pose, and simulated several fighting poses much to the amusement of everyone there.

Akane kicked and punched the air around her as everyone watched her silently. For some odd reason, no one attempted to stop her. But in the end, nobody needed to stop her for she had attempted to do a rising uppercut, but had lost her balance in the air and ended up landing on her rear end.

"Oof!"

The Hokage took this moment to actually give the errant genin team their mission.

"Your assignment is to find and retrieve Tora, the cat of the Fire Daimyo's wife."

"..."

"No seriously. What is it?" Aoi asked, speaking up. The Hokage smiled at her.

"That is your mission." he replied firmly to the braided Hyuuga.

"But... this is... _D-rank._" Aoi replied slowly, as if she weren't sure what the Hokage was talking about.

"What, you didn't think that you'd start with A-rank missions off the bat with a genin team, did you?" the Hokage smirked at her, purposely trying to infuriate the woman. Naruto, Akane, and Hikari watched the exchange as if they were watching a tennis match.

"But- but-"

"You were the one that said you wanted a genin team of your own." The Hokage lightly reprimanded her, "And you've even told me that your team was already some of the best genin you've ever seen. You should know that every genin team starts off with D-rank missions."

Aoi looked at him flabbergasted. Apparently, she hadn't known this. Her genin team, however, couldn't help but blush at the praise that Aoi had seemingly given them. She really did care for them.

The more Naruto saw of her, the more he thought that she would be a good sensei.

"...Right, well, I hereby officially resign as Team Nine's jounin sensei. It's been nice knowing you!" Aoi said, inciting shouts of indignation from Naruto, Akane, and Hikari.

"I'm afraid that you can't resign, Aoi, now that you've already passed the team." the Sandaime informed her. Aoi looked like she was going to cry. Her three genin gave her disgruntled looks.

Hikari sighed and stepped forward.

"We will take the mission, Hokage-sama." she said, taking charge of the team. Iruka, who had remained silent and unnoticed up until now, smiled at her.

"I'm afraid that it's up to your jounin sensei to decide, Hikari-chan. Though I'm glad that you're finally taking charge." he spoke with a light smile on his scarred face. Hikari blushed lightly.

Aoi waved him off with a despairing look on her face.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." she said, before collapsing onto Naruto, who struggled not to drop to the floor. His legs started shaking under her weight.

"Tora will most likely be located in one of the forests around the city. It was last spotted closer to the Eastern Quadrant." the Hokage informed them, but a loud thud had acquired everybody's attention.

Naruto had fallen to the ground under Aoi's weight. She had wrapped her legs around his stomach and hugged his head to her chest while sucking her thumb, which led to too much weight for the golden-haired boy to carry. They both lay on the Hokage's wooden floor in the same position, with Aoi hugging him as if she were an overgrown baby.

"Oi, you okay Naruto?" called Akane. Naruto raised one arm from his position on the floor and gave her a thumbs-up, at which everyone turned their attention away from the odd spectacle.

Akane looked at Hikari with a speculative look on her face for a moment, before shrugging in acceptance.

"Well, I guess it won't be too bad." Akane said to her pale-eyed best friend, "Besides, I love cats."

* * *

"I _hate_ cats!" Akane hissed angrily.

At first, they didn't think that they'd have too much trouble catching Tora; he was a cat, after all. While regular cats like Tora certainly were pretty intelligent beings, they were still vastly inferior to humans. In the end, cats would lose out to humans, so Tora would lose out to them. However, they did not realize one glaring flaw in their fairly sound and logical viewpoint.

Tora was not a cat; Tora was a _nightmare_.

When they first started the mission, they went over to the Eastern Quadrant of the forested area around Konoha where Tora was last spotted, like the Hokage had told them. With the use of Hikari's Byakugan, they discovered that Tora was nowhere near the Eastern Quadrant.

Then Aoi mysteriously disappeared, but Naruto, Akane, and Hikari couldn't really bring themselves to care about their whiny sensei at the time. They would later find Aoi hugging Yuuhi Kurenai for all she was worth inside a public restaurant-bar while miserably bawling about D-rank missions.

Prior to collecting Aoi (and saving Kurenai from Aoi's clutches), the three genin had searched all four quadrants of forests surrounding Konoha, avoiding areas that were off- limits. Tora was nowhere to be found.

Reluctantly, the three reached a consensus; they would need Aoi's help. So temporarily abandoning their search for the cat, they began their search for Aoi. Luckily for them, finding Aoi had been a synch.

She was in the process of getting wasted.

Naruto let Hikari and Akane extract the sobbing Aoi from the crimson-eyed beauty, not wanting tangle himself in such a delicate situation lest anyone think he was a pervert (and there was also the matter of Kurenai's apparent disdain for him). Kurenai was both relieved and amused when Aoi was forcibly dragged away from her, still sobbing hysterically.

Team Nine then cycled back to the Eastern Quadrant to look for any clues about the whereabouts of Tora they could find. With the assistance of Aoi's better developed Byakugan, they had found some cat-tracks as well as human-tracks heading back to the village. Analyzing the tracks, Naruto had come up with a simple solution as to what had happened.

"Judging by the size of the footprints, it seems as if some kids found Tora and took him back into the village. Tora's tracks disappear here, meaning that they picked up the cat from this point on." Naruto began explaining to his team, pointing out the tracks. Aoi, being an accomplished jounin already had a fair idea as to what had happened to the cat, but Hikari and Akane weren't as good as analyzing as Naruto, so they had listened with rapt attention and interest.

"Also, the heel imprints are slightly deeper than the rest of the imprint, and the toes of the feet are pointing inwards indicates that the kids were female. Most likely around the ages of 6 or 7." Naruto concluded, much to Akane's great amazement, and to a lesser degree, Hikari's and Aoi's as well.

With that, Team Nine went back into the village to find group of girls that had taken the target of their mission.

Their search led them to the Hyuuga clan compound, much to everyone's surprise. Getting into the compound went without a hitch, seeing as they had two Hyuuga, and also Akane, who was a regular at the compound anyway. Having to find the kids and Tora, however, wasn't so simple.

The use of Byakugan was restricted in the compound except for in certain places or during dire times that required it, such as security breaches. Hikari explained that this was mainly to provide all occupants in the compound a semblance of privacy. While the Byakugan couldn't exactly see through clothes, they could still see the actions of people.

Very few people would take kindly to being spied upon during reproductive acts, even if it was only as a mass of chakra and chakra coils.

And so, the team had decided to stick together to look for the cat and the catnappers. It was not long before they were interrupted.

"Aoi!"

Naruto heaved as something, or rather someone, smashed into his midsection with surprising force. Two small and slender arms wrapped around his midsection, and a head hit his chest. He looked down to see a head of brown hair.

The girl looked up at him looking a bit confused.

"Eh? You're not Aoi..." she said slowly, stating the obvious. The two looked at each other for an awkward moment, before the girl yelped and jumped away from him in shock. Aoi looked at the Naruto and the unnamed girl with an amused grin on her face.

"Yo, Hanabi-sama!" she called from the side waving, but Hanabi made no further attempt to hug her, having been mortified at hugging a complete stranger. She had mistaken Naruto for Aoi because they were wearing the exact same clothes.

Naruto couldn't help but sigh wearily. Ever since he had met Aoi, it seemed that everything seemed to happen to him, most of it being hugged. While it certainly wasn't as bad as he made it out to be, it didn't help that Aoi had less than pure intentions. And having grown up around several women, Naruto knew that he didn't want to be labelled a pervert. The consequences wouldn't be pretty.

Drawing the ire of females was never a smart thing to do.

Akane grabbed the young Hyuuga girl, much to Hanabi's delight, and put her on her shoulders. Naruto could see how familiar and comfortable Akane and Hanabi were with each other. And the more he thought about it, it seemed as if most Hyuuga were at ease with the Uchiha girl, which was pretty odd. From what he had seen, most Hyuuga and Uchiha didn't associate with one another, especially after the infamous Uchiha massacre incident.

"So what are you doing here?" Hanabi asked, "Don't you have a mission?"

Hikari opened her mouth to reply, but Aoi spoke up before Hikari could get a chance to explain.

"First of all, Hanabi-sama, we should introduce our teammate!" Aoi said, gesturing to Naruto, "This is the great Uzumaki Naruto-sama!"

"Hi." Naruto greeted, waving at Hanabi. The girl in question looked at him in surprise, before looking back at Aoi.

"This is...!" Hanabi started, at which Aoi nodded knowingly.

"Aoi, I thought that he would be my age." Hanabi stated, frowning slightly. Aoi shrugged.

"It's not like he'll have that much of an advantage over you. You've been trained, while he hasn't." Aoi explained. This did not seem to appease Hanabi.

"Still, wouldn't it seem kind of weird? He's so much older than me." Hanabi said. Naruto, having looked back and forth between the two, couldn't hold in his curiosity anymore.

"What are you talking about?" he interjected. Aoi gazed at him with a serious look on her face. Naruto had rarely ever seen her this serious before; he gulped in apprehension.

"Naruto-sama, I've set up you and Hanabi-sama in an arranged marriage."

"..."

Naruto looked at her serious visage completely bewildered, before he properly comprehended the comment. And his reaction was quite predictable.

"What!" he yelped, looking much like a fish. And then, to his disbelief, all four females suddenly burst into laughter.

"Aha- that was- ha- gr- ahaha- great!" Akane choked out, clutching her stomach in laughter, "You should've seen the look on your face!"

Of course, Naruto wouldn't just take this.

"It was a... joke?" he asked. At Aoi's ecstatic grin, he gave an obvious sigh of relief, "Wow, don't trick me like that. My girlfriend would've _killed_ me."

Aoi froze in shock, and Akane and Hikari followed soon after.

"Girl- girlfriend!" Aoi stuttered, "Bu- but!"

"Oh wait, did I say my girlfriend? Oops, I meant to say my sister." Naruto corrected innocently, "Hehe, my bad."

This time, both he and Hanabi laughed at the looks on their faces.

After the moment had passed, Naruto questioned Aoi once more.

"So what were you talking about, if it weren't about an arranged marriage?" he asked. Aoi addressed him truthfully this time.

"I'm going to be teaching both you and Hanabi together." Aoi said, "You'll be learning Jyuuken."

All three present genin look at Aoi with shock. Jyuuken was predominantly a Hyuuga style, and was mostly useless without the Byakugan. But Naruto forced himself to think about it rationally. There was a reason for this.

It had Kakashi's hands all over it. Naruto could tell, having known the Copy-Cat for several years.

From what Kakashi had told Naruto about the Jyuuken, he knew that it inserted chakra inside the body to close the tenketsu. Hyuuga used the Byakugan to be able to see the tenketsu, because it was mostly impossible to see them otherwise. Even the Sharingan couldn't see them.

Kakashi had then proceeded to show Naruto the Jyuuken that he had copied with his special eye. He showed the smooth movements, the grace, and the lethality of the Hyuuga clan's taijutsu style.

And Kakashi showed its greatest weakness for the Hyuuga clan. The Jyuuken was varied among different Hyuuga, but was still based on fluidity; one movement could turn into another which could turn into another and keep on going as a chain. Its weakness lied in the change of stance. If a shinobi could strike as a Hyuuga shifted from one stance to another, they could theoretically win against the Jyuuken.

Of course, it was easier said than done. The time gap between the movements was extremely small and only very precise and fast shinobi could find the correct moment to strike. However, Naruto now realized that Kakashi had not aimed to show the weakness from the side of the enemy, but rather from the side of the Hyuuga.

As the Hyuuga shifted from one stance to another there was a wasted attack. For example, if the style could be altered so that someone could make hand-seals in between movements, then the taijutsu could be combined with ninjutsu to make an even more deadly style.

For Naruto, it meant even more. Making that hand-seal in between stances meant that he could combine Fuuin-hime with the Jyuuken. But Jyuuken strikes were instantaneous strikes; while tenketsu did stay closed for an indefinite amount of time, the chakra that closed it didn't stay in the body for an extended amount of time. Jyuuken strikes shut the tenketsu off and soon disappeared. Fuuin-hime would need to stick.

"How would my technique stick? Jyuuken strikes are meant to be instantaneous." Naruto asked, deciding to be upfront about it. Aoi couldn't hide her surprise at his insight.

'He really is intelligent.' she thought, her eyes widening. Kakashi had told her something to that effect, but Naruto didn't really show any such ability, so Aoi had written him off. But getting such a conclusion from just a statement; Naruto definitely had strong analytical intelligence. He wasn't exactly a genius, but then again, the title of 'genius' was very easily given in Konoha, so Aoi didn't hold much stock in it.

"Ever climbed a tree with just your feet?" Aoi asked, and Naruto thought back to the time where he'd seen Gensei sticking to the ceiling of his home.

"Okay. I understand." Naruto replied. He had no idea how he held back his glee. He already had ideas for different seals he could use.

"_What_ are you _talking_ about?" Akane asked, completely bewildered by their conversation. Hikari and Hanabi felt much the same. Aoi smirked condescendingly.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head." she said, patting Akane's head much to her annoyance. Hikari, ever the voice of reason, decided to interrupt.

"Let's not lose focus on our mission." Hikari said, before turning to Hanabi, "Hanabi-sama, have you by any chance seen some kids bring in a cat?"

Hanabi's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Oh, you mean Momo?"

All four members of the team replied at once.

"Momo?"

"Yeah," Hanabi replied, "Some of my friends and I found her when we were playing in the woods."

"Hanabi, that cat belongs to the wife of the Fire Daimyo." Akane explained, "We need to return him to her as part of our mission. Where is he?"

Hanabi got off from Akane's shoulders, and lead the group to where Tora presumably was.

"Oh, Momo's a male? No wonder he was so uncomfortable when we dressed him up." Hanabi remarked as she led them into an open area in the Hyuuga gardens.

Team Nine shivered simultaneously; that statement seemed decidedly ominous.

Having reached the clearing, they saw a few kids playing with a cat dressed in a frilly pink dress. A very unhappy cat.

Team Nine decided to stay back while Hanabi went over to the other kids to ask them (command them) to return the cat, at which the kids reluctantly handed her back the discontented cat (obeyed her without question).

Hanabi came back with Tora in hand. Naruto didn't like the idea of being so close to the hissing cat, so he backed off. Akane rolled her eyes at his hesitance.

"Don't be such a scaredy-cat, Naruto." she said, stepping forward, "I'll take him."

Akane took Tora from Hanabi's arms.

Big mistake.

"Waah!"

Tora attacked instantly, scratching and spitting. Akane screeched in pain, and blindly tossed the attacking cat into Naruto's arms.

'What've you done, Akane?' was Naruto's last thought, before he too got mauled by the spitting cat. Hikari sighed at both her teammates, and stepped forward to gently take Tora from his face. Tora did not resist.

"See, you just have to be soft with him." Hikari said, smiling softly. There was a moment of disbelieving silence, before she too proceeded to get scratched by the furious cat. However, before any more damage could be done, Aoi's braids shot out and wrapped around the clawing cat, pulling it away from Hikari and holding it above her head. The Hyuuga girl sighed in relief.

Aoi smirked victoriously as Tora soon gave up, admitting defeat.

"That's how it's done." she said, giving the team a peace sign. Hanabi giggled at her antics. Then, Aoi felt something wet dripping on her head.

"Aoi, Tora's urinating on your head." Hikari said. There was a brief pause.

"Waah!"

Aoi flung the cat away from her as quickly as possible and ran off, presumably to wash her hair; Tora also scampered away, intent on getting away as soon as possible. Naruto groaned.

D-rank missions _sucked_.

The orange-wearing ramen-freak turned to Hikari.

"Day damn one, Hikari. Day damn one."

* * *

Naruto sceptically looked at the little girl in front of him; the girl he was supposed to fight against. And he looked back at Aoi.

"Are you sure about this, sensei?" he asked. He knew about the Hyuuga fighting style, but a little girl was a little girl. Hanabi may have been the daughter of the clan head, but Naruto didn't think that she could really hurt him, and he definitely didn't want to hurt her either.

"What, don't you trust my judgement?" Aoi asked. There was a brief silence. It was painfully aware to everybody in the dojo (Hikari and Akane were also watching from the sidelines), that nobody really trusted Aoi's judgement. A tick of annoyance bulged in Aoi's forehead.

"Just fight." she sighed; her team could be really annoying, "Both of you get ready."

Hanabi and Naruto both shifted into fighting stances, with Naruto forming a ready hand-seal for the bunshin, and Hanabi in the traditional Jyuuken stance. Naruto was getting more and more reluctant to fight her; she was just so tiny!

"Oh, and by the way Naruto, you're not allowed to use ninjutsu or Fuuin-hime; it's taijutsu only." Aoi quickly told him.

"Huh?"

"Start!"

"Wait, what do you mean-" but Naruto was cut off as Hanabi rushed at him with a speed that belied her age. Naruto's eyes widened as he just barely dodged her quick Jyuuken strike. He could almost feel the chakra whoosh by him.

'Damn! Have to get away!'

Hanabi's hands lashed out, and Naruto barely avoided the blurring attack on pure instinct. Hanabi pressed her attack, and Naruto kept jumping away from each deadly strike that the seven-year-old dealt.

'Damn it, she attacks quickly!'

Hanabi, while not particularly quick on her feet (thought quite fast for a seven-year-old), had fast hands and could strike at speeds that made her attacks appear blurred to Naruto's eyes. Naruto could run away from her easily, but he barely dodged her attacks. Hanabi was still small, and she didn't have quite as much reach as he did.

Jumping away again, Naruto backpedalled as Hanabi ran after him, his steps unbalanced. Her fingers, pressed together to form a three-fingered Jyuuken strike, went straight for his chest, and this time, him being unbalanced, Naruto wouldn't be able to jump away. Her fingers closed in and, instinctually, Naruto let himself fall backwards. His arms reached over his heads, and his hands stopped him from falling completely. Hanabi's strike barely missed him, going right above his chest.

Over the span of that second, Naruto used the momentum from his fall to flip up. He snagged Hanabi's outstretched arm between his legs, and carried the unsuspecting little girl off the ground using his legs. Hanabi let out a surprised yelp as she was picked up off the ground, but she impulsively grabbed onto Naruto's calf to prevent being thrown into the wall.

As Naruto took one hand off the ground, now supporting both him and Hanabi with just one arm, Aoi watched wide-eyed from the sidelines.

'He just...! That move was pure instinct!'

As Naruto reached up to grab Hanabi, his single arm holding them both above the ground could no longer hold their combined weight so it gave way, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. And like once before, Hanabi crashed into his midsection, knocking the air out of his lungs. Both of them groaned from the ground, and Hanabi opened her eyes, having closed them right before collision with the floor. She had landed right beside the orange-vested blond with her body splayed across his stomach.

"Alright, alright, that's enough." Aoi said, walking up to the fallen pair. Hanabi got off of the ramen-fanatic and the boy sat up, groaning in pain.

"Alright, I got you analyzed, Naruto." Aoi said, smirking at him. The boy raised an eyebrow as Hikari and Akane joined the group. Aoi sat down on the dojo floor in front of the boy.

"Basically," Aoi said, "Naruto, you currently suck at taijutsu."

"Hey!" Naruto looked at her grumpily. Hanabi laughed at Aoi's blunt proclamation, and laughed even harder when Naruto sent her an annoyed glance. Aoi's smirk turned into a smile.

"I'm not joking." Aoi said, at which Naruto lost his petulant look and Hanabi stopped laughing. Akane and Hikari looked at Aoi questioningly.

"What do you mean, Aoi?" Hikari spoke up. Aoi spared her a glance, before looking back at Naruto. She stared at him for a brief moment, as if gauging his reaction, before speaking again.

"As you know, Jyuuken relies heavily on the Byakugan to see the chakra coils inside the human body. That's why nobody but a Hyuuga can really master it." Aoi said, scratching her ear absentmindedly, "However, that doesn't mean that nobody else can become good at it; anybody can be good at Jyuuken by just going over the katas, just like every other taijutsu style. And that, Naruto, is also the reason why you'll probably never exceed in taijutsu."

Naruto, along with the rest of the children gave Aoi a pleasant look of surprise on their faces. Aoi, of course, delighted and revelled in it.

"Naruto, when you fight, there's no sense of practice or memory. First of all, all you did at first was run away from a girl that's five years younger than you are," Aoi explained, at which Hanabi and Naruto exchanged a smug look and rolling eyes respectively, "However, when you were about to be hit, you moved purely out of instinct. In one case, you went from being off balance and almost taking a hit, to dodging it, intercepting it, taking your opponent off balance and attacking all within the span of a couple of seconds, and you did it instinctively."

This time, Naruto gave Hanabi a smug look, at which Hanabi stuck her tongue out at him. One of Aoi's braids suddenly whipped out and rapped Naruto sharply on the head.

"Ow!"

"Pay attention. Now, the entire idea behind taijutsu is to practice; to go through different forms and techniques. It's about discipline and finesse; you practice and practice and practice until it becomes muscle memory, almost as if it was instinct. There's a difference between that and fighting; when you fight, you rely much more heavily on your instincts; you take things as they come and react to that. There's no practiced movement in that. Not to say that there isn't any instinct in taijutsu, but it relies much more on the practiced movement. And, I'll tell you right now; practiced movement will most likely beat out movement based on instinct alone." Aoi explained.

"Eventually, instincts can lessen and dull, but practiced movements stay as long as they are practiced, even if the body slows down; that's the advantage that taijutsu has over street fighting. Naruto, your fighting style relies very heavily on your instincts, but you've also incorporated a measure of taijutsu into it. The Jyuuken as it is will not be of much use to you because it relies little on instinct and much more on precision and practice. However, that doesn't mean it's completely useless. If you can _change_ the Jyuuken so that it fits in to your more instinctual fighting style, then your hand-to-hand combat can be formidable."

Everybody looked at Aoi as if her skin had just turned purple.

"What?" Aoi said, not sure why they were looking at her in such a way. Akane was the first to speak up.

"Wow, how'd you figure all of that out from such a short spar!" she asked. Aoi huffed in indignation.

"Well, I _am_ a jounin, you know." Aoi replied. Aoi never could understand why people always expected her to be an idiot.

"What about our fighting styles, Aoi?" Akane asked, "You've seen all of us fight before, so what are ours like?"

Aoi stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm... Well, Hikari's is straight-up like most Hyuuga; her style relies more on the fact that she has to practice her style a lot rather than just rely on instinct. But she has her chakra-strings, so that's an advantage that a lot of people don't have. But it's weak against Hyuuga, of course, because they'll be able to see the strings and cut them." Aoi said, nodding at Hikari before continuing, "Hanabi-sama is one of those very rare talents; she has very good instincts and can easily incorporate them into her practiced taijutsu."

Hanabi beamed at Aoi's praise.

"And what about mine?" Akane spoke up. Aoi didn't say anything, instead staring at Akane.

"Hikari, Hanabi-sama; why don't you two take Naruto outside and get him started. Teach him how to make the basic Jyuuken strike, and all about how to exert chakra from your fingertips and close tenketsu and all that. One he gets it down, go through the basic katas with him. It'll be practice for all of you. I'll be practicing with Akane." Aoi told them. Her voice was did not carry the usual cheer that they were accustomed to, so it oddly sounded rather cold. They obeyed without question.

Even after they left, Aoi silently regarded Akane with a solemn expression on her face. Akane stared back nervously; it wasn't often that Aoi was so serious. Then, unable to take the silence anymore, Akane opened her mouth to say something to break the silence, but Aoi cut her off before she could even utter a peep.

"Akane." Aoi said, "I'm going to be blunt with you."

Akane gulped.

"You still need a good amount of training before you'll be at genin level. Your ninjutsu and genjutsu suck, and the fact that you come from a clan that pride themselves on those two arts makes it all that much worse. You're slow on your feet and with your hands, you're clumsy, and you don't have much strength in your frame either. You do have pretty good instincts but you've failed to capitalize on them. You have an average amount of chakra, and even still your chakra control is too poor for that amount. As you are right now, you'll only hold Naruto and Hikari back." Aoi told the Uchiha. Akane flinched at Aoi's last statement.

"However, you have a drive that not many do. You try harder than most people I've met in my life, and you've often trained to the point of collapse. And despite this, you're still not ready to be a shinobi." Aoi continued, "You'll only get yourself killed, and maybe even your teammates."

Akane expression went from nervous to depressed as Aoi continued her assessment.

"Then- then what should I do?" Akane asked in low tones, fearful of Aoi's answer. Aoi looked at Akane coldly.

"As an outside observer, I'd tell you to quit being a ninja." Aoi told her. Akane looked at Aoi with wide eyes that started to tear. Aoi seemed unaffected.

"As your sensei however, it's officially my job to make you better. That's why I'll be focusing on you more than on Naruto and Hikari. You need my help much more than they do. Anyway, I don't really care about being official anyway." Aoi's tone of voice was suddenly cheerful again, "I'm not going to give up on you. Because, despite the fact that you stink at almost everything ninja-related, I still have hope for you. Akane, don't you ever give up!"

"...Don't give up." Akane whispered to herself. It was a mantra that she always repeated to herself; a chant that everybody always told her, her brother, her aunt, her best friend, and now, even her jounin-sensei said it to her.

"Don't give up." Akane repeated, "Don't give up. Don't give up!"

She angrily wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Heh! What am I crying for!" Akane admonished herself, "I can't just give up! I'll never give up! What kind of kunoichi gives up!"

"Yeah, you got the right idea! Never ever give up!" Aoi shouted.

Akane's expression, having been downcast and depressed throughout Aoi's assessment, lifted to one of joy and hope.

"Then, let's get started!" Akane yelled cheerfully, as if she hadn't just been about to cry a minute ago. Aoi smiled at her returning enthusiasm, and started their lesson.

"Alright, well, the first step is to find your strengths, and when we find those, we'll..."

* * *

"Now let's see... a newlywed couple has asked for someone to walk their dog, and-"

"NOPE!"

The Sandaime gave Naruto an inquiring look. He had been waiting to see whose patience would break first. He knew that it would either be Naruto or Aoi, but it seemed that Aoi still had more patience than the demon container. But she was most likely on breaking point as well.

Truth be told, the Hokage already had a C-rank mission for the team. They, as a team, had more than enough skill to handle a C-rank; and individually, Naruto and Hikari could definitely hold their own, while protecting Akane at the same time.

Akane, however, was not ready to be a kunoichi.

It was a harsh assessment, but essentially true. She had shown almost no aptitude in the arts of a shinobi. She was too clumsy to be stealthy, and she didn't have good enough control to perform advanced genjutsu or ninjutsu. She did have potential at taijutsu, as did almost every ninja; but again, she wasn't that good at hand-to-hand combat either. She had just barely passed the Academy as it was.

Even her mindset was wrong for the profession. Akane had too much trust and compassion for her fellow human beings to truly be a kunoichi of worth. It spoke volumes about her as a human, but as a ninja, it made her weak.

But it was still too early to judge. The Hokage had lived a long life; a rarity among shinobi. And over the course of his life, he had seen even the poorest of ninjas (in terms of skill) become great under pressure.

Akane was, after all, an Uchiha.

"No?" the Hokage asked, "And just what do you mean by that?"

Naruto gave him the fiercest look he could manage outside of battle.

"Old man, you've got to be kidding me! We're more than ready for a C-rank. Walking dogs or chasing cats isn't going to make us any better!" Naruto said intensely.

'Akane isn't improving at all!' Naruto didn't say. It had already been a month since they had passed as genin, and Akane had barely made any progress, if at all. Naruto had been learning the Jyuuken katas from Aoi, Hikari, and Hanabi, and Hikari had already incorporated a new team technique into her fighting style involving Naruto's Fuuin-hime technique. And Naruto had already taken his Seal Princess to the next level, implementing the Jyuuken and tree-climbing elements into it. Though he had yet to master both Jyuuken or tree-climbing itself, he could still exert and stick chakra from his hands. It was a large improvement on both their parts.

Akane, however, struggled to make progress, even with Aoi's constant help. She put in as much effort as she could, often to the point of collapse, yet no matter how much strife she put herself through, Akane just seemed incapable of improving.

At this point, Naruto thought that the only way that Akane would improve was to be put in a situation where she had no other choice but to improve; in other words, a desperate situation.

The Hokage looked at all three genin one by one, before looking to Aoi. The braided Hyuuga shot a sidelong glance at Akane that went unnoticed by all three genin, but she nodded her head.

"They're ready." Aoi spoke, at which Naruto gave her a thankful smile. The Hokage let out a long and almost unnoticeable sigh before speaking up.

"Very well."

* * *

The coming battle would be tough; Yuugao knew that. And she wasn't sure that she had adequately prepared for it.

The violet-haired kunoichi nervously stared at the two people sitting in front of her. The old man and woman stared back at her without any hints of amusement or happiness on their faces.

They were both grey-haired and wrinkled, indicating their obviously older age. They wore formal clothing and sat in the formal _seiza_ position on top of cushions. It had been a long time since Yuugao had been in such a position that she had to wear such prim clothing or sit in seiza; she looked noticeably uncomfortable.

The old man and woman, Yuugao's mother and father, were quick to notice.

"I see that you are uncomfortable, daughter." her mother spoke, "After all, it must have been quite some time since you've remembered the customs that we taught you to live by."

That was a harsh blow.

Yuugao, of course, could not retaliate to that or else she'd be proving her mother's point; that Yuugao was ungrateful of the care of her parents growing up. So she just sat there, intent on withstanding all the verbal punishment she could take.

"Are you still seeing that boy?"

Yuugao looked at them in confusion, unsure of whom they thought she was dating. She wasn't currently dating anyone.

"I was speaking of the vessel." her mother spoke, upper-lip curling in distaste.

This topic had been the major reason for the strained relationship that Yuugao had with her parents. Like many citizens of Konoha, her mother and father held a less-than-favourable viewpoint of Naruto. While they were raised too formally to ever voice such opinions in public, they had more than expressed their distaste of Konoha's resident demon container in the privacy of their home.

Yuugao decided then that it was probably not the best idea to inform them that they were currently sitting in Naruto's home.

"Yes." Yuugao replied, deciding to go the direct and simple route. Her parents sighed simultaneously.

"I still cannot comprehend how you can associate with... such company." her mother said. Of the two, her mother had a higher amount of dislike for the demon container, though Yuugao didn't know why. But before things could escalate, Yuugao decided that enough was enough.

"Mother, if it is alright with you, may I ask you a question?" Yuugao asked. Her mother nodded her acquiesce.

"You may."

"When have you or father, in my life, ever spoken to me using my first name, or even just given me a hug?" Yuugao asked. She already knew the answer.

Both parents seemed slightly confused at the question (and disregarded the answer), though they did try to hide their confusion. Being raised in formality, they were supposed to always remain impassive.

"And for what reason would you ask this?" her father inquired.

"Naruto-kun calls me 'Yuugao-neechan'." Yuugao spoke wistfully, looking at the floor in thought, "Though sometimes he calls me an old hag to irritate me. He's accidentally walked in on me changing a few times, and he's seen parts of me that nobody else has ever seen, especially no other guys, and he always gets embarrassed about it. And even more so when I start teasing him."

"When I'm feeling down, he'll do things to make me angry at him; and he'll keep doing them until I forget why I was sad in the first place. On my previous birthday, he teamed up with Ayame-chan to make me breakfast in bed; then he tried to steal some of the food because he missed his own breakfast. If I'm feeling sick, he'll deliberately feed me things or say things that will make me feel even sicker. And then at night, he'll tuck me in and kiss me when he thinks that I'm asleep. And sometimes, for seemingly no reason, he'll hug me."

Yuugao was surprised when tears formed in her eyes. She had been speaking these things as she realized them. She hadn't really noticed these things about Naruto until thinking back to those times that they had happened. And she understood something very important.

Yuugao had always thought the relationship that she had with Naruto was unique, and that was the reason why it was special. However, now that she really thought about all the things that they did, all the time that they spent together, she realized that their relationship wasn't as unique as she thought it was. The events and happenings that she had described were ordinary; these were bonds that any siblings might have with one another.

Their relationship itself wasn't unique; the fact that it was such an ordinary sibling relationship was what was unique.

Yuugao had to stop and think about it for a second; that was too deep for her to comprehend immediately. And after a second or two, she looked up once more smiling at her parents. All of their prim and proper facades dropped at the sight of her happy tears as they watched her cry with wide-eyes.

"When I was younger, I felt that you were more concerned about having a daughter that you could be proud of, and not concerned enough about having a daughter that you loved. I always tried to be empathic; always approachable and open-hearted." Yuugao told them, wiping her tears, "When I joined ANBU, I didn't even notice how much I had closed myself off. But Naruto-kun saved my life, and he broke open my heart. All this formality makes it harder to truly love someone, and I just can't be that person anymore."

Her parents glanced at each other, both with troubled looks on their faces. Yuugao was pleased to notice that she was perhaps getting through to them.

"I love him."

That was perhaps the final nail in the coffin.

"I love him so much that it hurts. I never wanted us to be estranged, no matter what our differences. It hurt me that my loving Naruto would put us at ends, but I still did it; I gave up my seemingly unloving parents for a loving little brother. But I don't want us to be like this anymore. I want things to change."

"I don't want you two to be my mother and father anymore; I want you to be my mom and dad." Yuugao finished, smiling sincerely at them. Her speech had been tattered and all over the place since she had never really had a heart to heart with her parents, but it had come from the heart and hopefully they could see that.

Her parents gave each other another look, and Yuugao knew that they had just had a conversation, and maybe even a resolution. A single look between two people that really knew each other could mean more than a thousand words; Yuugao herself could attest to that.

Yuugao smiled at them hopefully as they looked back at her; perhaps when this was all over, they too could meet Naruto and see for themselves just how extraordinary he was.

Her parents both stood up, and Yuugao followed their lead. They both walked up to the smiling ANBU kunoichi, and stopped right in front of her. And as if practiced or rehearsed, they simultaneously bowed.

"Thank you for your time. When you have come to your senses, you know where we reside." her mother spoke after straightening from her bow. Yuugao's smile abruptly left her face as both her parents stepped past her. She didn't turn around as they quietly put on their sandals and left, closing the door behind her.

She didn't turn around after they left. She just stood there, staring straight ahead at the wall, but not really seeing it.

And she didn't know what to do.

* * *

All four members of Team Nine stared at the site in awe. Their very first C-rank mission had been one that was still within the confines of the village, but they could see why this was different.

They were staring at one of Konoha's building endeavours. In order to expand businesses, the construction of a nine-story building had been ordered. Team Nine's mission was to assist in the building of the edifice.

Currently, the construction of the frame of the building was in progress. Large, red, and heavy steel girders emerged from the cemented ground, forming a basic box-like frame for the building.

Snapping out of their awe, the team walked over to head office at the site in order to inform them of the mission and perhaps get pointed to the right direction.

"Yo!" Aoi said, barging in, "You requested a mission?"

The man inside was a big and burly man, who seemed to be relaxing for a while. When he saw Aoi and her team of genin, he raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I wanted a team of ninja to help with the construction. Where is it?" the man asked them. He stood up, cracking his neck. He was wearing a yellow hard-hat and had on black pants and a red muscle-shirt; a typical construction worker.

"You're looking at them!" Aoi merrily told him. The man looked at her like she was joking. He obviously did not believe that such a team of scrawny people could actually make a difference.

"...Are you kidding me?"

"Nope. The Hokage himself gave us this mission, so unless you'd like to question him, how about we get to work?" Aoi responded, effectively cutting off any argument with the mention of the Sandaime. The construction worker seemed that he really wanted to question the order of the Hokage, but in the end just sighed.

"Fine, fine. Well, since you brought a bunch of kids, I'm going to put all of you in the same area so you can help them when something goes wrong. If you got any questions, then ask me. The name is Taro." the man told them. The genin frowned slightly at his negative attitude.

Aoi nodded her assent, and Taro assigned Team Nine to their positions. Putting on hard-hats, all four comrades proudly went off to work to further better the future of Konoha.

And when they went to their assigned positions, they all stared in disbelief at their assignments.

Moments later, Akane and Hikari were running around taking orders.

"Let's see... I would like... orange."

Akane looked back to where Naruto and Aoi worked at the stand and raised three fingers. Naruto grabbed an orange soda and tossed it to Aoi, who caught it with her braids and lazily flung it at Akane. Akane caught the drink, and gave it to the thirsty worker.

"Wait a few minutes before drinking!" Akane instructed, before running off to take another order.

"Aw man, this sucks!" Naruto complained, as he gave Aoi a grape soda, "What the hell kind of C-rank mission is this!"

Aoi tossed the grape soda to Hikari, and jumped out of the stand.

"I'll go do something about it." she said to Naruto, "Manage the stand while I'm gone."

Naruto lazily made a few Kage Bunshin to assist in chucking the soda at Akane and Hikari as Aoi went to go speak with Taro.

Taro was standing beside a concrete wall at the edge of the construction site where the main office was located, observing his workers. Aoi approached him from behind.

"Oi, Taro." Aoi called. The robust man turned around at the sound of his name.

"Yeah?"

"How come you got us working the soda stand instead of actually helping with the construction like you originally wanted? That's what you wanted ninja for, right?" Aoi questioned the man. Taro snorted.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." he waved her off, much to Aoi's annoyance, "Come to me only if you got something important to say; otherwise I'm busy."

"We can do the work." Aoi told him with gritted teeth; she was getting annoyed by his dismissals of her and her team. Taro looked at her sceptically.

"Listen, princess; this isn't the type of work that just any scrawny person can-" Taro broke off as Aoi slammed her fist into the concrete wall. There was a large indent in the concrete and several cracks running about from where Aoi had punched it. Taro looked at it with wide eyes and a dropped jaw.

Aoi watched his expression smugly.

"Well?" she asked.

"...Yeah... sure..." was all he could say.

Aoi walked away with a happy smile and a victory for her and her team. Inside, she was thinking something else.

'Kaaah! That hurt!'

Her hand was throbbing in pain, but she resisted the urge to rub it, lest Taro think otherwise about her strength.

Once she was back at the stand, she gathered her team of genin.

"Okay, I got us some actual construction work. We'll still have to prove ourselves capable to all the workers, because they don't think we'll be of any help. So let's get to it and prove them wrong!" Aoi said, saluting her team. They walked away, waving her off.

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks a bunch..."

Aoi frowned at their retreating backs.

"Tch, ungrateful brats." she said to nobody, before running off after them.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing, brat? This ain't the time to be drawing something in the dirt." one of the workers said to Naruto, who was drawing something with a stick. Naruto glanced up at him, before getting back to his drawing.

"I'm working on a seal." Naruto informed the man, "It'll make moving the girders easier."

The man squatted down and looked at Naruto's work curiously. To him, it was just a bunch of squiggles, but Naruto kept fluidly adding new lines here and there, pausing every now and then to think it through. After a few minutes, Naruto finished and stepped back to examine his work.

"...Okay, this should work." Naruto said, nodding to himself. He walked over to where there was a giant load of girders.

"Anyone got a marker or brush or something?" Naruto asked the workers in his vicinity. One of the workers reached into his pocket and pulled out a black marker.

"Is this okay?" the man asked the golden-haired boy, holding the marker out for Naruto to take. Naruto took the marker from the man with an utterance of thanks, and began to draw his seal onto the edge of one of the girders, close the centre of the beam. All the workers in the area caught sight of him, and curiously approached to see what he was doing. Once Naruto finished drawing the seal, he straightened and grabbed the girder over where the seal was placed. And, to the eye-popping astonishment of every worker that was watching him, the whiskered boy easily lifted the girder with his left arm.

"Heh, works like a charm." Naruto said, grinning at his work. The girder weighed about the same as a tennis ball.

"How- how did you do that!" one of the workers stammered out, and the other workers voiced their disbelief as well. Naruto grinned at them and turned the girder over. Beckoning them to come closer, Naruto began recreating the seal on the other side of the large object.

"This seal changes the density of any inanimate object over the surface area that it covers. Basically, if you grab the beam over where the seal is, it'll seem as though it weighs about as much as a tennis ball." Naruto explained, "But that doesn't mean that it actually weighs that much. If you get hit by it or if it falls on you, it won't feel like a tennis ball; it'll feel like you just got hit by a girder. But it'll make our work much easier. Like this."

Naruto took the girder and walked over to where Hikari was assisting the workers nearby. The workers followed him as if they were zombies.

"Yo, Hikari. I need you to go to the top, and when you get there, attach one of your strings to the girder on the seal." Naruto explained to the Hyuuga girl, "And make sure that you get it on the seal, or else it'll be heavy."

Hikari nodded, and held out her arm to the sky. The workers turned to stare at her instead now, confused at what she was doing. Then, as if by magic, she slowly began rising into the air, with her arm still extended. Her speed gradually increased, and she kept on rising until she was left hanging onto the edge of a horizontally placed beam. She pulled herself up, and Naruto held the steel girder above his head. Hikari extended the invisible chakra-string all the way to the girder, and attached it to the seal that Naruto had drawn on. And, like she had earlier, the normally heavy beam gradually rose above the ground until it was in her hand.

"Got it!" she yelled down to Naruto, who gave her a thumbs-up. As Hikari turned to give the large beam to one of the flabbergasted worker who had seen the spectacle from where Hikari had climbed, Naruto turned to his audience.

"Well, I guess we got a system going, huh?" he said, grinning sheepishly. The workers looked at him silently for a moment, which made Naruto a bit nervous, but then they all grabbed him and threw him in the air, cheering all the while.

* * *

"...Hn..."

"...because it's my first C-rank ever! I mean, I was so glad that I was able to do the D-ranks, because they were kind of fun as well, and I almost didn't become a..."

"...Hn..."

"...and when we started serving drinks, it was still better than trying to catch the Fire Daimyo's wife's cat Tora, and boy, lemme tell you, it wasn't easy! I remember in our first mission ever, we were supposed to catch that cat, and at first we went to the forest to find..."

"...Hn..."

"...and it turned out that Hanabi-chan had the cat the whole time! So we took Tora back, and he was so _mad_! He started scratching all of us, and he even peed on Aoi's head, but then Aoi dropped him and we had to chase him all over again..."

"...Hn..."

"...you sure are a big guy! Do you like being a construction worker, construction worker-san? It sure seems like a pretty tough job, but I bet it's easy for you, since you're so big and all, so I guess that you probably like being a construction worker! I always wondered..."

Aoi witnessed the conversation between Akane and a humungous worker who was easily thrice her size, and decided to leave well enough alone.

* * *

"For he's a jolly good felloooooow... which nobody can deny!" the construction workers sang and cheered, as they shared drinks with the decidedly embarrassed Naruto. He had made their lives so much easier with his fuuinjutsu so they had wanted a drink with the orange-wearing blond.

"Bwahahaha! You're not bad, kid... not bad at all." Taro said, roughly slapping Naruto on the back, causing the boy to spray out the orange soda that had he had been drinking, inciting more laughter from the workers.

"Alright, enough is enough, men! Time to get back to work!" Taro ordered his workers, who, for once, did so without complaint. Taro turned to the boy that had made his life so much easier.

"Kid, you're a life-saver. I can't thank you enough." Taro told the boy, "Be sure that I'll be telling Hokage-sama about how excellent you were!"

Naruto grinned embarrassedly.

"Hehehe... well, better get back to work!" Naruto said, and went back to apply more seals to the steel girders. Taro watched the boy as he went back to do his mission, even though he had already done more than enough. And he couldn't help but smile.

'Uzumaki Naruto... He's not at all like the rumours say...'

Naruto didn't have any idea, but he had just won himself a whole crew of supporters.

* * *

Taro approached the gentle giant of a man for the final task of the day. They had gotten practically everything they needed to get done for the week in half a day, thanks to Naruto's ninja magic. There was only one slight problem about a weakly attached girder, and Boshi was the best man to check it.

"Hey, Boshi."

Boshi turned around.

"Hn?"

"Oh, your name is Boshi? I didn't know that was your name, construction worker-san! Wow, that's a cool name! I wonder what it'd be like if my name was Boshi? Hmm... Uchiha Boshi... that has a nice ring to it!"

Taro had no idea what to say to whatever had just spewed out of the little girl's mouth, though he could've sworn that the look in Boshi's dark eyes just _screamed_ 'help me'. And, despite what the girl thought, Uchiha Boshi did _not_ have a nice ring to it.

"...Anyway, I need you to check up on the stack of beams, just to see if any are stacked loosely; we don't want any overnight accidents. Then we can clean up and head to the bar, or you can go home if you want." Taro instructed the monstrous man.

"Hn."

Taro chuckled at Boshi's wordless reply, which was pretty much the norm. The man was seven-and-a-half feet tall, and had a figure even bulkier than his. And he was much stronger as well, able to lift steel girders by himself even without the help of Naruto's seal. However, while he certainly did have a lot of brawn, Boshi was not too gifted on the brains side, though he wasn't to blame. Born with a speech deficiency and accompanied with ruthless childhood taunting, Boshi just preferred not speaking.

"I'll come with you, Boshi-san!" Akane spoke up. Taro chuckled at the hyperactive girl, finding her quite amusing. It was quite a sight to see: the silent giant and the talkative midget.

"Yeah, that shouldn't be any problem." Taro said, before walking off, "See you later."

"Yeah, yeah! Let's go, Boshi-san!" Akane said, enthusiastically pumping her fist in the air.

"Hn."

The two walked over to the stack of girders in silence for once. It was already quite dark, with only the light from street lamps lighting up the area. There was almost no noise except for the distant chatter of the crew of construction workers and Akane's team, and the few crickets that chirped to each other.

"I'm not a good ninja." Akane blurted out, as if she couldn't handle the silence. Boshi didn't say or grunt anything, and Akane took this as a sign to continue. There was just something about this complete stranger that put her at ease; perhaps it was the fact that he was always silent and listening. After all, he _had_ put up with her constant chattering when anybody else would have told her to shut up.

"I... ever since I could remember, I was never good at being a ninja, but I had always wanted to be one." Akane said softly, "Everybody was better than me, and they always let me know it. I wasn't fast, I wasn't strong, and I didn't always think things through. The clan wasn't going to let me be go to the academy or become a ninja, but then the massacre happened."

"After that, everything changed. Because so few members of my clan were left, everybody agreed to let me attend the Academy. And, they really got a lot more hateful after that, because no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get any better. And I tried really hard!"

Tears lightly sprung at the corners of Akane's eyes, but she made no move to wipe them as she poured her heart out to the silent giant.

"And when I first started at the Academy, I couldn't make any friends; everybody bullied me because I was weak. But, one day, I saw them bullying someone else; someone who'd also made fun of me for being weak before, but I couldn't just let them do it, because I knew how that girl felt. I tried to help her, but I just ended up getting beat up again. I don't regret it though, because now, me and that girl are best friends." Akane chuckled.

"But even after I made friends with Hikari-chan, they still didn't acknowledge me. Hikari-chan tried her best to help me get stronger, but I just couldn't... I don't know why..." Akane said; her hands were shaking.

"And nothing got better in the Academy. Most of the people there were nice, but they always seemed to pity me. And I was always at the bottom of my class. I would stay up all night with Hikari-chan studying for a test, and the next morning when I had to write it, I'd just blank out. And I stayed at the bottom of the class the whole time I was at the Academy."

"In my last year at the Academy, I wasn't the dead-last for once! It was Naruto; he was always skipping class, so he missed a lot of quizzes and tests. But even then, I was still second last, but I got a lot better than before. I worked really hard, and both Aoi and Hikari-chan helped me the whole time. By the time the genin exams came, I could perform all three of the basic jutsu. When I passed, I was so happy!" Akane sniffled.

"I got put in a team with Hikari-chan and Naruto, so that was awesome! And I was prepared to help Naruto with everything because he was the dead-last; but boy were we surprised! He was way stronger and smarter than both me and Hikari; maybe even as strong as my cousin, Sasuke-kun, who was the rookie of the year at the Academy! But thanks to him, we were able to pass Aoi's test, and become real genin. But ever since, I haven't been improving... I don't know why. I always try my best when I train, but I haven't gotten any better, and I'm holding my team back. Naruto's learning the Jyuuken, and Hikari-chan's already improved her chakra-string technique. And they even made a technique together!"

Her tears finally left her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Both she and Boshi had stopped walking some time ago. Akane's shoulders started shaking as she lowered her head, causing her tears to sprinkle the ground.

"I'm hopeless..." Akane whispered, her voice sounding wounded, "I'm _hopeless_!"

Akane lowered herself to the ground and supported herself on her knees and forearms. Her tears came faster and fell to the ground copiously. And she kept crying, for her pained heart demanded release. Yet her tears didn't seem to help in the slightest.

And, like many times before, Akane didn't know what to do.

"I... at this rate, I'm just going to die... maybe I should just stop being a ninja now before I get my teammates killed... maybe I should do the world a favour and just die..." Akane whispered bitterly, moving into sitting position. Then she felt a hand grip her shoulder. Akane looked up at the owner of that hand.

It was Aoi. And she did not look happy.

* * *

Akane tearfully fell on her rear end, having been thrown to the ground by Aoi, who now loomed over her. Akane braved a look at her sensei, only to regret it. Aoi looked angrier than Akane had ever seen her, and for the first time ever, her anger was directed at Akane.

"What the hell was that?" Aoi spoke in soft tones, her anger just simmering behind her words. Akane flinched at Aoi's quiet anger; it would've been better if Aoi had been yelling at her instead.

Akane didn't reply to Aoi, and Naruto and Hikari knew better to interrupt their sensei. Aoi had never gotten this enraged before, and the sight before them was a terrifying one. Aoi glared down at Akane, her Byakugan bulging for extra effect. Each of her braids were whipping about in random directions, as if Aoi had lost control over them, creating small winds, as well as, they were surprised and even more terrified to notice, small crackles of electricity.

"I asked you a question, Akane." Aoi said, her volume never rising. And to the surprise of everyone there, Akane looked at Aoi defiantly, glaring back.

"What is it to you!" Akane growled at the braided brunette. Aoi looked at Akane incredulously.

"What!" she snapped out, but Akane didn't flinch. In fact, Aoi's tone of voice seemed to make her even angrier.

"I said, what is it to you!" Akane repeated angrily, not backing down. Aoi grabbed Akane by the front of her shirt and lifted her off the ground with one arm.

"You damned piece of shit!" Aoi swore at her student, her voice finally losing its calm, "Who the fuck do you think you are!"

Akane struggled in Aoi's grip, trying to get free.

"Let me go!" she shrieked, "Let go of me!"

Naruto and Hikari watched in horror as Aoi brought up her other hand and smacked Akane hard across the face, eliciting another shriek from the girl, this time in pain. This action only caused Akane to struggle even harder, and Aoi was forced to release the girl. As she let go, Aoi drove her knee into Akane's stomach, causing saliva to fall from the girl's mouth. Akane crumpled to the ground.

"You want to fight back? Then fight back!" Aoi roared at the girl.

Aoi delivered a vicious kick to the side of the fallen girl, educing another scream of pain. There was no telltale crack of broken bones, but Naruto and Hikari winced nonetheless for the girl. Normally, they would both defend their hurting teammate, even against Aoi, but the look that Aoi had given them... they knew better than to interfere.

Akane rolled away from Aoi, and stood up, panting heavily from the pain. She glared at Aoi, but Aoi wasn't affected by it at all, which made the girl angrier still. Yelling, she charged at the Hyuuga woman, wildly throwing punches and kicks at her. Aoi easily dodged and parried all of Akane's attacks, which made her put even more effort into attacking. Growing tired of Akane's weak and weakening advance, Aoi delivered a blindingly quick punch to Akane's torso, causing the Uchiha girl to back off and clutch her stomach in pain.

Aoi looked at Akane coldly.

"You're worthless, Akane. As long as you had the drive to become better, everybody would still have faith in you, no matter how much you messed up. But as soon as you gave up on life, you became worthless, Akane." Aoi said in chilly tones.

Akane's bitter words had brought back unpleasant memories. If there was one thing that Aoi hated with a passion, it was the idea of giving up on life. No matter what, life always brought new experiences; to just throw it away was something that was inexcusable in Aoi's eyes.

"I don't need you on my team. Go home, and don't bother coming back. Don't bother coming to the Hyuuga compound, and don't bother trying to visit Hikari or Naruto either. They don't need a useless friend."

The amount of anger that Akane put in her glare surprised both Naruto and Hikari; in all the time they knew her, they didn't think that Akane was capable of such anger. Fire seemed to come alive in her eyes, dancing about in anger. Her gaze was overbearing; the very air seemed to heat up around them.

"Shut up." Akane whispered, "I'm going to be better. I won't give up. I'm going to be strong."

"Prove it to me." Aoi said unremorsefully, "Show me that you aren't as worthless as everybody knows you are."

Aoi's insult seemed to be the spark. Akane charged at Aoi, her fist at the ready to obliterate the orange-clothed sensei. Aoi stood there calmly, awaiting the attack. As Akane charged, the air behind her seemed to distort, as if her very charge was emitting a heat-wave. Akane closed in on the unmoving Aoi, pulled back, and swung.

And the air ignited.

Fire erupted from Akane's fist, surprising everybody there. The giant blaze reached out, feeding off the air itself, threatening to consume all in its path. Aoi's body was devoured by the giant ball of flame, catching everybody off guard. Akane paused in her attack, her anger quickly turning into fear, not for herself but for her sensei. This pause seemed to also give pause to the flame, which disappeared as if controlled by a tap. There was no trace left of Aoi except for ashes.

Akane fell to her knees, wide-eyed at the sight of the ashes, no doubt thinking that she had burnt her sensei to a crisp. Naruto and Hikari hurriedly ran over. However, before there was any interaction between the teammates, Aoi suddenly appeared before Akane.

Akane looked at Aoi, whose clothes were slightly burnt and sooty because of the close call with the fire that Akane had seemingly generated.

"Akane..." Aoi said, her eyes wide from shock as well, "What the _hell _was that?"

Aoi's voice contained no traces of anger; only wonderment. Akane could only shake her head.

"I... I don't know." Akane replied. Aoi looked at Akane, with her mouth slightly open, as if she were unable to comprehend what had just happened. Then, suddenly, Aoi turned away and jumped, removing herself from the scene of the vanished conflagration.

Akane, Hikari, and Naruto silently stood there, not knowing what to think and not trusting themselves to speak. It had been a long day and a tedious mission, and it had definitely ended with a bang. They just eyed the scorched earth that lay before them in speechless awe.

Aoi returned just as she had left; suddenly. However, she had a few new additions with her. Specifically, Aoi carried four small pieces of paper in her hand. Wordlessly, she handed one out to each member of the team.

"That's chakra paper. It finds out your chakra affinity." Aoi said, short and simple, "For example..."

Aoi's paper suddenly crumpled up around the edges in her hand.

"That means I have a lightning affinity, which, along with earth, is fairly typical for a Hyuuga. It only crumpled around the edges, meaning that it isn't really all that strong yet." Aoi explained, before turning to Hikari, "Hikari; charge chakra into the paper."

Hikari did as told, and almost the entire paper dampened, as if she had dropped it in water. Aoi nodded, looking a bit surprised.

"Hikari, your chakra is aligned with water, though it isn't too strong at the moment, which is ordinary because you're still young." Aoi explained. She nodded at Naruto, who took that as a signal to start. Naruto made a quick hand seal, before focusing his chakra into the card.

Naruto's paper split cleanly in half, at which Aoi blinked.

"Well, Naruto, you have a wind affinity, which is pretty rare. Not many people have it, so you can consider yourself lucky." Aoi explained. She then turned to Akane.

"Akane, it's your turn. Charge chakra into the card." Aoi said, looking at the paper expectantly. Akane nodded and focused her chakra.

"Waah!"

The paper, much to the shock of Akane, Hikari, and Naruto, erupted into a giant ball of flame, causing Akane to drop it in panic. The flame hit the ground and dispersed into nothingness, reverting back into chakra. Aoi nodded her head accordingly.

"I was wondering..." Aoi said, trailing off. Akane looked at her inquisitively, just as Naruto and Hikari felt.

"What? What was that?" asked Akane, her previous anger with Aoi gone as if it had never happened. In fact, the entire incident now seemed surreal to all of them, as if it had just been one big dream.

"Well, Akane, you're chakra is obviously aligned with the fire element, which is typical for every Uchiha." Aoi explained, at which Akane sighed.

"Well, there goes being unique." Akane said. Aoi smirked at her comment.

"Actually, Akane, I think yours is the most unique one here." Aoi rebuked. Akane looked at Aoi in surprise.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Aoi stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"Well, basically, your affinity with fire is so great, that you can ignite fire straight from your fists, which was what you did earlier." Aoi explained, causing Akane to blush, and rub the back of her neck sheepishly.

"Eheheheheh, sorry about that." Akane apologized, grinning weakly. Aoi shook her head.

"No, I should be the one apologizing. I _was_ angry with you, but I shouldn't have been so insulting. I'm sorry about that, Akane." Aoi apologized, "Will you forgive me?"

"Don't worry about it. There was nothing to forgive!" Akane said, waving off Aoi's apology. Aoi smiled at the girl's leniency.

"Right, well, I'll explain why this is so important. Do you know of the Nidaime Hokage's special ability, Akane?" Aoi asked. When Akane shook her head in the negative, Aoi continued.

"Nidaime Hokage-sama had such a strong affinity for water that he could create streams of water seemingly out of thin air, as if it were a personal bloodline. Akane, your affinity with fire is probably as strong as the Nidaime Hokage's affinity with water." Aoi said, dropping the bomb. Naruto and Hikari looked at Akane, shocked at the revelation.

Akane stared at Aoi in disbelief.

"As strong as the Nidaime Hokage?" she repeated, not believing the words. Aoi smiled at her.

"Of course, it means nothing if you can't control it, but at least we figured out your strength. Now, we can adjust your training accordingly. Akane, do you understand? This means you can become as strong as the Nidaime Hokage." Aoi informed the girl. Akane continued to stare at Aoi.

"Me...? As strong as... a Hokage?" she whispered.

'Of course, the Nidaime Hokage had excellent skills in other areas as well,' Aoi thought to herself, 'But there's no need to tell her that. Now that she's found her strength and the right confidence in her abilities, she'll finally grow.'

"Did- did you hear that, Hikari? I can become as strong as a Hokage!" Akane said, still speaking in a dazed tone. Hikari smiled back at her.

"Yeah. I heard, Akane." Hikari spoke softly. Akane turned her eyes to Naruto, and grinned mischievously.

"Hear that, Naruto? I'll become the Hokage before you!" Akane said teasingly. Naruto, instead of getting angry, grinned back at her.

"Well, when you get as strong at the Nidaime, I won't hold it against you. But you'll have to go through me first!" Naruto countered.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, people." Aoi said smilingly, waving away their conversation, "It's been a long day, and, for your first C-rank mission, you've done excellently. I'm proud of all of you, and that's no Kakashi."

"Huh?"

"Anyway, it's pretty dark out, so we should be all be getting home. I only have one last thing to say." Aoi said. Her smile turned into a familiar grin.

"Naruto-sama, take me home and get me _out_ of these dirty clothes!" she groaned out. Naruto only sighed.

"Yeah, I should've expected that." he deadpanned, much to the amusement of everybody around him. Akane let out a single chuckle, which slowly began to build up into giggles, and eventually, laughter. Hikari joined in, and soon enough, all of Team Nine were as one, joined through laughter and smiles.

* * *

Yuugao took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. She heard the shuffling of feet, meaning someone was approaching, and the door opened, showing Yuugao's mother, who seemed slightly surprised to see her daughter.

There was a moment of silence between mother and daughter.

"So you've finally come to your senses, have you?" her mother asked. Yuugao shut her eyes, banishing away all the guilt that she felt for doing this. When she opened them, they were full of resolve.

"Yes, I have."

* * *

Chapter 06 – Flame of Akane – Terminating

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

I'm still unsure about having Akane open up to a complete stranger. I've heard it can be therapeutic so I left it as it is, but it's still pretty weird. Anyway, practically nothing in this chapter was changed.

We're almost there!

Thanks for reading, and be sure to review!

knuckz


	10. 07: Hidden Waterfall

Come Full Circle  
by: knuckz

* * *

Summary: Ninjas use taijutsu to beat their opponents down, genjutsu to disillusion them, ninjutsu to destroy them or heal them, and weaponry for quick kills. Some specialize in specific areas, and exceed in that talent, while others keep a general base in all aspects. As such, there are general ninja's and nin-, tai-, and genjutsu masters respectively. This was before Uzumaki Naruto became a ninja. For the first time, there will be a fuuinjutsu specialist.

* * *

"blah" – talking

'blah' – thinking

* * *

This chapter is currently **unbeta'd**. This message will be removed once it has been.

* * *

Chapter 07 – Hidden Waterfall – Commencing

* * *

The leaves fluttered gently in the wind, the rays of the sun cascading through, highlighting the vacillating shadows. The chickadees were crooning songs to one another, dancing about amongst the foliage in games beyond human thought, watched over by their protective mother. Underneath the exultant activity sat a yellow-haired boy, trying to catch the vestiges of his misplaced sleep.

Naruto let out a jaw-cracking yawn.

It was quite early in the morning; earlier than he would have liked to be awake, but he knew better than to sleep in lest Aoi decide that he needed a... _special_ wake up call.

He definitely did not want a repeat of that.

It had occurred a few weeks back; he had stayed up late working on a seal even though he had known that he had a mission really early the next morning. So when morning came, he had sleepily decided that his slumber was more important. It did not occur to his drowsy mind that his team might come calling, and they did.

Aoi had snuck into his apartment (Naruto did not know how she had done so), followed by Hikari and Akane (the latter carrying a camera). Then, without his knowing it, she crawled up next to him in bed. Naruto, sensing the heat, immediately clung to her in his sleep unknowing of what he was doing. Aoi's braids started caressing his cheek, allowing him a false sense of security which only made him curl into Aoi's warmth even more.

Then, grinning all the while, Aoi emitted lightning nature chakra.

Needless to say, it had been a very _shocking_ awakening.

Naruto shuddered at the memory. Thankfully, he hadn't gotten the typical male morning reaction; else, Aoi might've had a field day. She already had photos of Naruto clinging to her in bed, courtesy of Akane.

'Thank Kami that didn't happen.' Naruto thought, relieved, 'I'm just glad Yuugao-neechan wasn't home at the time, or she might've shared a few of her stories.'

And as the topic of Yuugao came up, Naruto frowned. The purple-haired beauty had been acting extremely strange as of late, avoiding Naruto at every opportunity she could. In fact, if not for the breakfasts that she would leave for him in the morning, Naruto would not even know if she came home at night.

Certainly, as part of Konoha's ANBU, Yuugao would often stay busy with missions or patrols and the like, but Naruto somehow knew that there was more to it than just that. The blond had asked around to the few people that both he and Yuugao were familiar with, such as Hayate and Kakashi, but they hadn't seen much of her either. When asked, Ayame had vehemently refused to talk about Yuugao, leading Naruto to think that his oldest friend (and first honorary sister) probably knew what was up, and possibly had a disagreement with the woman.

In any case, Yuugao's behaviour was erratic and confusing, but there wasn't much Naruto could do if he couldn't even find her, so he'd just let things play out by themselves.

"Yo, Naruto!"

The whiskered blond turned to see none other than Uchiha Akane approaching him with a large grin on her face; such was the custom. Ever since Akane had discovered her 'epic powers of fiery awesomeness' as she called it, she had went about everything in the best of moods. Naruto could've sworn that she hadn't stopped smiling since then.

"Mornin'. Hikari-chan's not with you?" Naruto needlessly asked. Akane and Hikari typically came to their team meetings together, the two best friends meeting up beforehand since they lived closer to each other. Naruto, who lived on the other side of Konoha, would typically meet them at the designated spot. It was quite unusual to see one without the other.

"Heya! Nah, princess is probably making sure she's dressed up perfectly." Akane said, rolling her eyes, "Wants to look good for her _birthday_."

Naruto couldn't help but smile at that; it was indeed Hikari's birthday today, and had they not been given an important mission, the team would surely be celebrating. It was also the reason why Naruto was tired; he had been up late refining his gift for the Hyuuga girl.

Rather than buying Hikari a gift (since money was no object for the Hyuuga), Naruto had decided to put his fuuinjutsu skills to good use and make Hikari something that she wouldn't be able to just buy. What had resulted was one of the most elaborate and complicated seals that Naruto had ever created; the end result was rather remarkable.

Naruto satisfactorily patted his pocket, generating a light tinkling sound.

"So did you finish whatever it was that you were going to make?" Akane asked curiously, peering at Naruto's pocket after having heard the jingle. She sat down beside him on the grass, leaning against the tree just as he was. Naruto put his head against the trunk and looked up at the foliage, hints of sunlight peeking through.

"Yeah, just in time. I can't believe it took a whole month to design the seal, but it was worth it." Naruto told her, closing his eyes wearily. His head lolled onto Akane's shoulder, and she smiled.

"Tired, eh?" she said, reaching out and softly combing her fingers through his blond hair. Naruto didn't indulge her with a reply, but hummed comfortably at her gentle ministrations. The two sat against the tree for a few moments with Akane skilfully massaging Naruto's hair, gently evoking sleep to grab the lethargic blond in its restful embrace once again.

With a shift in weight, the dark-haired Uchiha girl slowly inclined her face toward the blonds', her lips lightly parting like that of a lover. Akane came closer and closer, intent on capturing Naruto's lips with her own...

"Stop it, Aoi-sensei." Naruto murmured sleepily, interrupting their looming lip-lock, "I'm way too tired."

Pouting indignantly, Akane nonetheless leaned back, and was engulfed in a poof of smoke to be replaced by a much larger woman. Hyuuga Aoi now sat with the blond, her hands still kneading through Naruto's locks, caught red-handed. Unprepared for the sudden shift in size, Naruto fell over into her lap. However, rather than shooting up embarrassingly, Naruto just adjusted so that their position could not be considered intimate in any way.

Having known the woman for close to three months now (on almost a _daily_ basis), he had gotten used to her tricks and come-ons.

"No wisecracks." Naruto sleepily told the braided woman before dozing off. Aoi smirked at Naruto's insight but closed her mouth nonetheless, adhering to the boy's request for once. He did seem awfully tired, and he had been quite adamant about perfecting Hikari's gift to the best of his abilities.

"So how'd you know it was me?" Aoi asked, scratching the back of Naruto's head. The blond jinchuuriki practically purred at the action. But then she patted his head, telling Naruto that her impromptu head massage was over and that it was time to wake up. Naruto sighed, but obeyed his sensei lest she break out the lightning-nature chakra.

"You did everything right except for two things." Naruto replied, sitting up and rubbing his eyes, "The most obvious is that Akane-chan wouldn't have tried to kiss me; as soon as I felt your weight shift towards mine, I knew for sure that you were under a Henge. But that much was obvious."

Aoi rolled her eyes.

"Well duh! What's the real reason?" Aoi asked.

"Well, that's also kind of obvious, if you think about it. Akane-chan was even more excited about Hikari's birthday than Hikari-chan herself." Naruto informed her, "She probably woke up at the crack of dawn so she could be there when Hikari woke up."

Aoi snapped her fingers.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Aoi said, though it was all in jest, "And speak of the devil..."

Naruto looked up to see Hikari and Akane walking over towards him and Aoi. Stretching out like a cat, Naruto groggily rose to his feet to greet the birthday girl.

"Happy birthday, Hikari-chan." Naruto spoke indistinctly, lazily gathering the girl in a lackadaisical hug. However, his energy seemed to slip away and he almost collapsed on the smaller girl instead.

"Whoa, whoa!" Hikari laughed, straining to support Naruto's weight. It surprised the girl to see the usually energetic blond in such a languid state.

"Late night?" she asked, hugging the blond back after standing him straight.

"Yeah..."

Hikari held him at arm's length and put her hand to his forehead. Closing her eyes, she concentrated her chakra, calling forth her elemental chakra; a method she was still unused to. Using the Jyuuken, Hikari gently inserted the water-natured chakra into his head, both cooling and hydrating the blond. Naruto perked up immediately and Hikari released her hold on him.

"Thanks, I needed that." Naruto replied sincerely, looking much better than a moment ago. Akane, who had been silent up until that moment, finally spoke up.

"Alright, alright! Enough dilly dallying! Time for presents!" Akane said, "Me first! Check this out, Hikari-chan!"

Stepping away from the group, Akane flourished her hands. Small flames erupted from the tips of each finger, and Akane waved her hands around, drawing an intricate pattern of flame in the air, her hands dancing about, captivating.

Akane had been a below average shinobi with regular ninja skills, but every since her affinity with fire had been discovered she could have been considered a prodigy at controlling her elemental chakra. Fire seemed to love the girl, following her every movement and command; the previously uncontrollable flames had been tamed by the flamboyant Uchiha girl.

The will of fire had literally come alive in the form of Uchiha Akane.

Hikari watched the display with a smile and a small amount of awe; the patterns that Akane drew in the air were many times beyond what Hikari could accomplish with her skills in elemental chakra. Far from being jealous, Hikari was extremely happy for her best friend who seemed to have finally found her place as Hikari had always known she would.

Hikari watched as Akane finished her dance of flames, her movements belying her usual clumsiness. Clapping her hands together, Akane doused her flames, ending her dance of fire-light. Stepping up to Hikari, Akane grinned, slightly huffing from exertion.

"How'd you like it?" the Uchiha girl asked, "I call it 'Hikari no Mai'."

The birthday girl smiled.

"I loved it. Thank you." Hikari told her, "Now... where's my real present?"

Akane pouted.

"Aww, you're no fun!" she complained, before reaching into her kunai pouch and pulling out her present, "Here."

Hikari observed Akane's present, taking it from her; it was a sake cup. The cup was painted completely white, and carved around the edges were small, intricate patterns of light blue that Hikari could barely make out. In the centre of the bowl was the same light-blue pattern, only larger, and upon close observation, Hikari noted that it was a seal. She looked back at her best friend with a raised eyebrow. Akane only grinned at her.

"Charge some chakra into it."

Hikari did as told, and almost immediately the cup filled with water, which pooled from the seal at the bottom of the cup and from the seals around the inside edge, as if it were a miniature fountain. Hikari only gaped.

"Wha- what? How...?" was all Hikari could get out, causing Akane to laugh at her speechlessness.

"I got the idea after that one mission we got where we had to water that lady's garden. Remember, she didn't have a hose or any pails, so we had to go back and forth and bring the water in our hands." Akane explained, "Well, I decided that it might be easier on missions if we could carry water a bit easier, so I took a pottery class and eventually made this cup."

"So that's where you were disappearing off to." Hikari said, remembering all the times where Akane would disappear after a mission. Akane nodded before continuing her explanation.

"Yeah, well, I told Naruto my idea, and he told me it would be better if the cup could make the water by itself. He drew a seal and gave it to me, and told me to carve it anywhere inside the cup." Akane explained, "And I carved it into the bottom and around the edges. And that's all."

Hikari looked at the cup once more, inspecting it closely. The water rippled slightly as she inspected the seals again. She took a hesitant sip of the water, only to note that it tasted perfectly fine.

"But how does it create water?" she asked. This time, Naruto stepped forward to give his explanation.

"The seal I gave Akane-chan is a basic chakra conversion seal; in this case, it converts to water-nature chakra. Since your chakra is already aligned with water, as soon as you charge chakra into it, it'll convert your chakra to water, pooling it into the cup." he explained to the collective group, "If someone who doesn't have water nature chakra tries it, nothing would happen."

Aoi, who had been watching silently up until now, took the cup from Hikari's hand. She downed the cup of the water before charging her own chakra into it, but nothing happened.

"Huh. Well, I guess Hikari's the water girl on our team from now on." she said, giving Hikari back her cup. Naruto shook his head.

"Actually, I can do it as well."

Everybody looked at him with raised eyebrows. Naruto smiled, before snapping off a quick succession of hand-seals before touching the cup. Like before, water suddenly pooled into the cup. Everybody just gave him blank looks, at which Naruto shrugged.

"I just have to use more water-conversion seals before touching the cup." Naruto said, "I can do the same for any element, but wind is obviously the easiest for me to use."

Hikari stowed away the sake cup in a padded compartment in her kunai pouch before giving Akane a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Akane. I love it." she said, stepping back. Akane grinned.

"No problem! Okay Naruto, your turn. Everybody wants to see what you've been up to." Akane said eagerly. Hikari looked at between Naruto, Akane, and Aoi, but Aoi answered her question before she even asked.

"He's been working on your present for a month, but he never told us what it was." she explained. Naruto smiled, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pair of... bells?

Aoi peered at them closely; they were similar in shape to the ones that Kakashi generally used to test new genin teams, except these were quite a bit larger and a golden colour. Naruto handed them to Hikari, the bells tinkling at the movement.

"You can wear them in your hair." the blond told the Hyuuga girl. Hikari looked at the bell while Akane just gaped at her only male teammate.

"Bells? All that time, and you were working on bells?" she said, a look of disbelief on her face. Naruto just shook his head.

"They're more than just bells, Akane. Hikari-chan, charge some chakra into one of them." Naruto said. Hikari did so, and something suddenly shot out of the bell, attracting everyone's attention. Hikari released her chakra in shock.

"What the...?"

When Naruto had heard of Hikari's coming birthday, this idea had popped into his head almost immediately. Hikari had started developing her skills around her chakra strings, but her strings extended too slow for actual combat; this was where the bells would come in handy.

Naruto reached down and grabbed something shiny hanging from the hole in the bell, barely visible. He held it up for all to see; it was an extremely thin silver thread.

"Basically, these bells can produce thread. Since you were always practicing with your chakra strings, I thought these would be useful." Naruto explained, "Chakra strings are hard to use in combat because they're meant for sticking to things, otherwise they dissolve. You can't really use them as whips, like you were trying to, Hikari-chan. These bells will solve that problem."

"So wait." Aoi interrupted, "You just put a storage seal into those bells, and spent an entire month just storing thread into them?"

"No way, give me more credit than that, sensei." Naruto replied indignantly, "It's another chakra conversion seal."

Aoi's eyes widened in shock, and she immediately stepped forward and put her hands on Naruto's shoulders, peering into his eyes with a serious expression on her face.

"Naruto, are you telling me that you actually created a seal that can convert chakra into thread? Into a solid mass?" Aoi asked seriously. The blond slightly frowned.

"Well, I guess you could say that, but the actual proc- mmph!"

Aoi slammed Naruto into a tight hug.

"Kyaah! Naruto, do you know what this means!" she shrieked, "That's the kind of seal only seal-masters can come up with!"

"Mmph!"

"This is... AWESOME!"

"Mmph! Mmph!"

"And... I'll be known as the sensei of Konoha's newest seal master!" Aoi proclaimed, starry-eyed.

"Mmmmmmph!"

"Aoi," Hikari interrupted, "I think Naruto's having trouble breathing."

"Eh?" Aoi looked down, releasing the suffocating boy. Naruto immediately gasped, precious air filling his lungs again.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Aoi apologised half-heartedly, "Ah, this is too awesome! Hyuuga Aoi: seal-master sensei..."

As Aoi continued to ramble on about her 'accomplishments', Hikari swept Naruto into another hug, giving him a quick peck on the cheek as well.

"This really is awesome Naruto." Hikari told him, releasing her hug, "It's just the thing I needed. I was running out of ideas on how to advance my technique."

"... best sensei award, I'd better win..."

"There's more to it; the thread is made of your chakra at the point of insertion into the bell, so you can use it in conjunction with our dual technique." Naruto said, "Not to mention that the threads are normally flammable, so with Akane-chan in the mix... well, you get the idea."

"So then, we can make a... 'Fire Whips of Flaming DOOM' technique!" Akane spoke up. She was playing with a small ball of fire, throwing it in the air and catching it, sometimes spinning it on her finger. The flame did not seem to be burning her hand, but that was because fire resistance was the first thing that Akane had been taught about her fire manipulation skills.

"... Sensei Extraordinaire! Ah man, this is..."

"So this seal took you a month to make?" Hikari said, playing around with the bells, whipping the thread about to get a feel for her newest weapon. Naruto watched her interweave the threads from both bells into a spiral, cutting out a pattern on the nearby tree.

"Making the seal wasn't so hard; designing it was the problem. It's pretty much the most advanced seal that I've ever made; even more so than the ones I use for Seal Princess. Converting chakra into other chakra isn't hard, but converting it into a solid mass, even a small one like a thread is insanely difficult, not to mention that it had to be a flammable metal, meaning it had to be a magnesium compound at the very least while still remaining malleable and strong." Naruto explained, watching the girl begin to carve 'Team Nine' into the tree. He had spent over three weeks experimenting with the threads, and within a few seconds, Hikari had already surpassed anything he could hope to do with them.

"And on top of that, there's the fact that it had to come out as a thread and nothing else. Thankfully, since your chakra is aligned to water, the thread came out malleable; otherwise you'd be wielding a really narrow sword. But I also added a rigidness symbol to the seal, so you can still make the thread straight if you wanted. But- wah!"

Naruto suddenly stumbled as he felt Akane clamber onto his back, piggybacking the blond. However, compared to Aoi who was a full grown woman and quite heavy to carry for the twelve-year-old boy, he didn't mind Akane's weight as much.

"Yeah, yeah, enough mumbo jumbo! Let's get our mission over with so we can celebrate!" she said, ruffling his hair, "Aoi, what's our mission?"

"... Best sensei EVER! Huh?" Aoi paused, looking at Akane, "Oh, that's right, we had a mission. Okay, umm... what was it again?"

At their annoyed faces, Aoi laughed nervously.

"Just joking, yeesh! Okay, Hikari, my gift to you is breakfast and our mission which is..." Aoi said, taking out a scroll from her pack, "B-Rank!"

"Whoa! Where'd you get the permission to take us on a B-Rank mission!" Akane asked, awed, "I though genin could only take D-ranks and C-ranks!"

Aoi waved her off.

"Girl, when you're a good shinobi like me, you get certain privileges." Aoi bragged, "Anyway, I'll explain the mission as we get breakfast. Where to?"

Naruto levelled a look at his sensei.

'No doubt, she got Kakashi to vouch for her.' he thought, though he didn't say anything.

Naruto opened his mouth to reply with the obvious answer: Ichiraku Ramen. But Akane slapped her hands over his mouth before he could do so.

"Oi, oi, its Hikari-chan's birthday. Let her decide." Akane said, before looking to her pale-eyed teammate, "What'll it be?"

Hikari couldn't help but feel slightly guilty, looking at Naruto's face, but they did just have ramen the day before.

"How about some yakiniku?" she suggested, giving Naruto an apologetic look. Naruto sighed sadly, but gave her a smile to let her know it was okay.

"Yosh! Yakiniku it is!" Akane shouted from her position on Naruto's back, pointing into the distance, "Let's go!"

* * *

"You're being really stupid!" Ayame spoke shrilly, ladling some ramen into an empty bowl, "Do you really think that Naruto will-"

"He has the right to his own legacy." Yuugao interrupted, "It doesn't matter that he won't care. Naruto doesn't need me to intrude on his birthright."

"Intrude! He'll probably be overjoyed! You _know_ that he'll love you for it! You can't just go around-"

"Ayame," Yuugao interrupted again, "He's going to make a name for himself. If I... I can't take that away."

Ayame regarded her quietly, putting the steaming bowl of ramen in front of the violet-haired kunoichi.

"That won't matter to him either." Ayame replied, "Why don't you just talk to him?"

"No matter what I say, he'll feel obligated to offer me his-"

"I can't believe you!" Ayame interrupted, "It would bring the two of you even closer together! You're acting like he'd resent you for it!"

"It's the only thing he has left of his parents." Yuugao replied quietly. She broke apart her chopsticks, and, with a small prayer, began eating. Ayame fell silent at Yuugao's comment.

"He... he doesn't even know who they are." Ayame whispered. Yuugao looked up at her, surprised. Nobody really knew who Naruto's mother and father were; Yuugao had once heard whispers of a kunoichi by the name of Uzumaki, but she had never seen any such woman within the past decade.

"You know who they are." Yuugao said, narrowing her eyes. It wasn't a question. Ayame made no attempt to invalidate Yuugao's statement. She just closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"My mom and dad were good friends with them." Ayame replied, opening her eyes to regard Yuugao with a sad look, "Both of them were killed when Naruto was still a baby. After his mother died, Naruto was left in our care but my mom passed away soon after. My dad couldn't take care of a baby and I was still too young, so we had to leave him at the orphanage."

"Why... why haven't you told him?" Yuugao asked. Ayame shook her head in the negative.

"We were forbidden."

"What? Why-" Yuugao started, but Ayame cut her off.

"His mother's name was Uzumaki Kushina; she was a foreign kunoichi from the former Whirlpool country, but she moved here and was employed by Konoha. Maybe you've seen her in the past but didn't know." Ayame whispered to maintain secrecy, "She was extremely pretty and usually loud and happy; a lot like Naruto in fact, and she had long red hair that reached down to her calves."

Yuugao's eyes widened; she remembered seeing such a kunoichi around Konoha a long while ago, often around the Hokage Tower when the Yondaime was in office.

"...and his father?" Yuugao asked in subdued tones. Ayame didn't say anything, but instead held up four fingers on her hand. It took a moment for her to process what Ayame was trying to tell her, but when she did, Yuugao suddenly gripped the counter in shock as vertigo attacked her, holding herself steady.

"I wasn't really allowed to tell you, but you deserve to know. But you must not tell anyone, even Naruto." Ayame told her, "If the knowledge got out..."

Yuugao nodded her head briskly, immediately understanding why such knowledge was forbidden. If word ever got out that the Fourth Hokage officially had a son, not to mention a demon container... she didn't want to think about it. And despite everything, Naruto was still a kid; if he let anything slip... there was probably good reason for him to not know.

However, once the shock wore off, Yuugao thought that the idea was actually quite plausible; she was amazed that she hadn't considered it earlier. Naruto looked very similar to the Yondaime Hokage, and the Fourth was not the type of person to seal a demon into just any kid.

"So do you understand? He doesn't know his legacy. He's never even asked about where he came from; it wouldn't matter to him." Ayame said, watching Yuugao finish the last of her ramen, "At least think about it. You can't just go around as 'Yuugao'."

Yuugao nodded. Reaching into her pocket, Yuugao extracted some money and paid Ayame for the meal, rising from the stool to leave.

"Thanks, Ayame." Yuugao said, leaving the stand. Ayame watched her leave silently, deep in thought.

"No problem." she finally said, though there was no one present, "You idiot woman."

Ayame smiled, before going back to work.

* * *

"Takigakure?" Naruto asked. Hikari answered his question.

"It's a minor Hidden Village, one of the closest to Konoha. Waterfall also has a history of pretending to practice drills in order to cover their attempts to invade Konoha, though that was a long time ago. It's also said that they are impenetrable; they've never been successfully invaded." she explained before turning to Aoi, "What exactly is our mission, sensei?"

"Scrll dlvry." Aoi attempted to answer with her mouth stuffed full, chewing furiously. Beside her, Akane wolfed down her own food, while Naruto and Hikari ate at a more sedate pace. Aoi swallowed before speaking again.

"Taki requested information from a few of the Hidden Villages, including Suna and Iwa." she told them, "So we'll likely be meeting people from other villages as well."

"Must be some important information," Naruto stated, "especially if it rates a B-rank mission."

"Yeah." Hikari murmured softly. She pushed her empty plate away, and began playing with the bells attached to her hair, them tinkling from the movement.

"Naruto, are there limitations to how much thread I can produce?" Hikari asked curiously. To his credit, Naruto swallowed before answering.

"Well, the length of the thread is proportionate to how much chakra you pump into the seal. The higher the amount of chakra, the longer the thread, obviously." Naruto explained, reaching for some water.

"And what if I just want to make the thread... stop?" Hikari asked, "To keep it at a definite length?"

"Well, then you'd just have to keep a consistent rate of chakra pouring into the seal; unfortunately, if you cut your chakra off, the thread will break off. I couldn't get around that problem. Also, I can't give you an exact chakra-to-thread conversion rate, because, well, I didn't really have any way to measure chakra. One unit for me is different from one unit for you, since it's proportionate to our chakra reserves." Naruto said, washing down the food with some water, "Hooh! That was good!"

"Urk! I think I ate too much." Akane said, finally finishing her food. She held her hands over her stomach, grimacing. Beside her, Aoi was in a similar state.

"But it was worth it..." Aoi said, before raising a finger`, "Oi! Bill!"

As a waiter approached their table with the bill, Aoi gestured to her team.

"Make your way to the main gate. I'll pay and meet up with you there." she told them. Naruto and Hikari rose from their booth, but Akane remained seated.

"Narutoooo... I can't get up." Akane groaned, pleading with her eyes. Naruto just sighed, and leant down in front of her, presenting his back.

"Ahh, you're the best." Akane said, once more clambering onto his back, piggybacking the blond, "Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Many times." Naruto replied dryly, "Just don't throw up."

Akane just laid her head onto his shoulder, closing her eyes contentedly.

* * *

Naruto, Hikari, and Akane stood at the main gate, patiently waiting for their sensei. Akane had all but dozed off on Naruto's back, while Hikari was practicing with her bells, working on recreating her techniques.

"Alright guys." Aoi said, suddenly appearing before the three genin, "Let's get going."

Naruto shook Akane off of his back, uncaringly letting her land on her backside. She jerked in surprise, hitting the ground with a thud.

"Oi, what was that for!" Akane complained, rubbing her behind. Naruto just rolled his eyes, but Hikari interceded before things could escalate between her two teammates as they usually did.

"Okay, let's do inventory." the pale-eyed girl spoke up, "I already have my new bells and sake cup. Naruto, do you have the scroll?"

Naruto nodded, pulling a scroll out of his kunai pouch. Rather than carrying enormous packs of clothes and other necessities, Naruto just had them sealed into scrolls for each person, and then those scrolls into a single scroll that he kept with him to save space.

"All packed and ready to go." he replied, twirling it before putting it back where it was.

"Okay, so that's inventory done." Hikari said, "Guess we're ready to go."

"Hey, what about me?" Akane spoke up, "I just realized; you guys got all these cool weapons and gadgets and stuff! How come I don't have that kind of stuff?"

Naruto and Hikari shared a brief look that went unnoticed by their oblivious Uchiha teammate. It was pretty simple; Akane was their best friend, but she couldn't be trusted with anything flammable. Though she did have amazing control over her fire techniques, there were still incidents, such as one regarding accidental flames and the burning of clothes.

"At least you still have your clothes?" Naruto suggested.

"Shut it!" Akane immediately fired back, reddening at the memory. But then, two of Aoi's braids suddenly lashed out and violently smashed Naruto's and Akane's heads together. Hikari couldn't help but wince at the loud cracking noise emitted at the sound of the collision of their skulls.

"Seriously, you two. Shut up and let's go. Hokage-sama let me take you three on this mission trusting that we'd do it right. Let's not mess it up." Aoi told them, unusually stern. But rather than seeing a pair of apologetic genin, Aoi saw Naruto and Akane on the ground clutching their heads in pain.

Aoi looked at them curiously.

"What's wrong?"

* * *

"Waterfall? Why the fuck we gotta go to Waterfall for?"

Waterfall wasn't even a major Hidden village. They had never produced a single shinobi of worth and had been very easily tamed by the much larger and better Konoha. In fact, they likely wouldn't even currently exist had the First Hokage not given them the seven-tailed Horned Beetle as firepower.

"Language. And to answer your question, we have to deliver a scroll with information that they have requested. And it's not just us; there will be several other countries represented there as well."

"I don't see the point. Why give them the information?"

"To ensure diplomatic relations between our two villages. You know this."

"I still don't see the point. We're _way_ fucking better than those losers!"

"Hah! I can agree with that."

"You said it, bro!"

"Don't be idiots. They may not have ninja that stand out, but they're still strong ninja. Don't underestimate them."

"Tch... fuck that shit. And fuck you too."

"Mind your language."

"..."

"I'm going back to sleep."

"Though... you have to wonder... what did they do with that seven-tailed beast?"

* * *

To Naruto's great disappointment, the trip to Waterfall had been devoid of any skirmishes. He had wanted to see Hikari's new weapons in action and had been hoping to try out some of their joint techniques as well, but there seemed to be a lack of enemies. Of course, the lack of enemies was supposed to be expected because they were still in Fire Country, but Naruto knew better than to expect everyone in the country to be loyal to the country.

He had had a rather jaded childhood, though it admittedly got much better after Yuugao had assumed such a huge role in his life. But his original experiences of the world were unpleasant ones, and he still suffered from a little bit of that unpleasantness even now. And though he didn't like to think about his time under Mitarashi Anko's care, he did learn a lot from her.

One of the many things she taught him was to distrust everyone, even his friends and even his loved ones. That way, as long he held that little inkling of distrust, he would be prepared for any backstabbing that might occur.

In a way, it was like a self-fulfilling prophecy; because Anko had gone on to attack him and shattered the trust that he had placed in her as his pseudo mother-figure. But it was after the incident that Naruto, ironically, took her words to heart. Anko had tried to reconcile with him, but Naruto, who had his trust utterly and irrevocably shattered, just couldn't bring himself to trust her again.

But despite the fact that he could no longer trust her, her lessons about the world were a harsh truth.

He had grown up according to Anko's teachings until Yuugao had taken those beliefs and turned them around. From Yuugao, Naruto had learned that living life every day was a risk; if he couldn't trust in someone to watch his back, was it really a life worth living? There were some things that were worth the risk. He had since learned to place his trust in his fellow human beings, and he hadn't been disappointed where it really mattered.

But Anko's lessons had made their mark.

While Naruto did trust in his teammates and his loved ones, there always remained the slightest inkling of distrust in his heart. Even after months and months of getting to know them, after spending blood, sweat, and tears with them, and after laughing and smiling with them, he still held the tiniest morsel of doubt deep within him.

But Naruto had learned to overcome that hint of cynicism within him in order to work together with his teammates; it was necessary as a shinobi to overcome his fears, and his teammates really did earn his trust, not to mention that they trusted him as well.

No matter how jaded a childhood Naruto had had with Anko, he was a different person now, and he _could_ trust others, no matter what Anko had said.

Akane suddenly reached out and cuffed the blond in the back of the head.

"Hey hey, stop spacing out." she told him as he looked at her in surprise, "I've been trying to get your attention for some time now. We're at Waterfall."

Akane, on the other hand, despite her neglected childhood, still had the ability to trust in her fellow man and woman with complete sincerity. Naruto didn't know how she could trust a complete stranger, and it was one of the qualities of Akane that he really valued.

"Hey, seriously! Stop doing that!"

Naruto smiled slightly.

The Uchiha girl also had a pretty rough childhood. Though the three teammates hadn't exclusively went over their whole life stories with each other, Akane was the easiest to read of the three genin because she was so open about everything.

"Oi, come on Naruto!"

From what Naruto had gleamed, Akane was considered to be a failure in the Uchiha clan because she had very poor ninja skills, and showed no signs of activating their legendary doujutsu, the Sharingan. In the Academy, she initially had no friends, though that later changed when she befriended Hikari. But making friends with the Hyuuga girl only further estranged her from her clan; in fact, the only people in her clan that actually liked her were her brother, Uchiha Shinji, and her Aunt, Uchiha Mikoto.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you!"

Contrarily to Akane, Hikari was very hard to read. She appeared to be a gentle, kind girl at first glance, but Naruto knew better now that he knew her so well. He had seen her angry many times, and had been on the receiving end of that anger on plenty of occasions.

"Come on, Naruto! Stop that!"

But that was the extent to which Hikari showed what she was like. Naruto knew that Hikari absolutely adored Akane (non-romantically), and also knew that before the two girls became best friends, Hikari used to be somewhat of a bully to the Uchiha girl. It was something Hikari seemed to regret to this day, and Naruto often thought that it was rather unhealthy of the girl to hold on to such regrets from so long ago, but it was between the two of them so he didn't interfere.

"Please! Please, Naruto-kun!" Akane began pleading, pulling out the affectionate terms. Naruto had to hide his smirk.

"Huh? Did you say something, Akane?" he said, adapting one of Kakashi's favourite lines. Akane glowered at the blond while Hikari shook her head in amusement.

"You fall for it every time, Akane." the pale-eyed girl said, "You're so gullible."

"Shut up, Hikari! It's not like you haven't fallen for his trickery! Remember the movie?" Akane retorted angrily. Hikari flushed as Naruto grinned like a loon. Akane suddenly grinned again, before hugging herself and making kissing noises.

"Oh Naruto-kun! Hold me!"

"Sh- shut up!" Hikari retorted quickly, embarrassed at the memory, "It was a cruel prank!"

The prank in question had been performed by Naruto. The team had gone to the cinema one night to watch the latest horror flick, and Naruto had placed a trigger-activated genjutsu on Hikari's food without her realizing. So during a particularly horrifying scene, Naruto's genjutsu jumped out of her food at her. Hikari, who normally went out of her way to be the most composed person on the team (in public at least), shrieked loudly at the abrupt surprise and grabbed the nearest person she could think of, which happened to be Naruto. This, of course, grabbed the attention of the rest of the audience, and much to Hikari's embarrassment, also resulted in various cat-calls and 'hubba-hubba's'.

"It was so cute!" Aoi kicked in, grinning, "My two genin, falling in love!"

However, before they could further tease the already-embarrassed Hyuuga girl, a distraction presented itself in the form of a Waterfall shinobi. A Waterfall kunoichi to be exact.

The kunoichi in question had fairly dark skin, a rarity in Konoha, and oddly enough, long, pale-green hair. She seemed about the same age and height as the three Konoha genin, and she wore clothes matching her hair. The girl was dressed quite modestly, wearing a full sleeve shirt and pants that had been tied tightly around her ankles. Tied around her head was her Takigakure hitai-ate.

And she was making a beeline towards Naruto.

"Is it you?" she said to the blond, skidding to a stop in front of him and narrowing her eyes. Naruto noticed that her eyes looked almost orange, and they seemed to shine with a certain childish quality, though the girl looked quite serious at the moment.

Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto noticed that Aoi had slightly relaxed; she had been ready to intervene had the girl attacked any of them.

"Is what me?" Naruto replied slowly. The girl sneered at him.

"Don't try to lie to me, see? I can see a lie a mile away, see?" the Waterfall kunoichi replied, speaking in a strange voice, "You look nervous, bub. Did you do it? You did it, didn't you?"

All three Konoha genin gazed at the strange girl with bewildered looks on their faces. Aoi stroked her chin, looking at the girl interestedly. When Naruto exchanged glances with an equally perplexed Hikari, the green-haired girl suddenly reached out and pointed straight at Naruto.

"You _are _it! You've been caught, criminal!" she exclaimed, much to Naruto's shock. But before Naruto could be arrested for a crime he didn't even know existed, another Waterfall shinobi, this time a male adult appeared before them.

"Damn it Fuu! What did I tell you about doing this!" he said, grabbing the girl, Fuu, by her ear.

"Ow! Ow, ow, sensei! I caught the Pi-" Fuu tried to complain, as the man started dragging the girl away. The man was apparently her sensei, so Naruto thought that it was safe to assume that he was a jounin. Unlike Fuu's strange appearance, the jounin was dressed in standard jounin-wear, much like Kakashi, though his face was quite visible. The man had ordinary brown hair and a scar trailing straight down his face over his nose, and he was taller than even Aoi.

"How many times do I have to tell you, stop harassing foreign nin!" the man replied, pushing the girl back, "Now go back to the village!"

"But sensei, he-"

"No 'but sensei'! Don't you 'but sensei' me! I've had enough 'but sensei's' out of you!" the girl's sensei cut her off.

"Tch, you never let me have any fun." Fuu replied dejectedly, kicking a small stone on the ground. She stuffed her hands into her pants pockets and dolefully walked away, presumably back to the Hidden Waterfall Village.

After the girl was out of sight, the jounin-sensei turned back to the waiting Team Nine.

"Sorry about that." he said, "She's a little enthusiastic; she keeps taking on ridiculous 'mysteries' that she feels need to be solved."

Aoi waved him off.

"Maa, don't worry. My genin are the same way." Aoi replied, "She would've fit well on my team had she been a Konoha nin."

"So, you must be the Konoha team sent with the scroll, correct?" the man asked them.

"Yup." Aoi said, picking out a scroll from her pack and handing it to the man. He took one look at the title on the cover before giving it back to the braided woman.

"Thank you. My name is Koiga, and I'll be escorting you throughout the village. I presume you'll be staying here until the scroll needs to be returned?" Koiga asked her. Aoi nodded in confirmation.

"It should take at least two weeks to decode the information." Aoi replied, "So we'll be here until it's done."

Naruto, Akane, and Hikari looked at her in surprise. She hadn't mentioned that the mission would take so long.

"Alright, well, follow me and I'll guide you to our village leader." the ninja said, turning around and walking towards the village. Team Nine trailed after him.

"The entrance to Takigakure is a sort of open secret," Koiga told them, "so naturally, practically everybody knows where it is. Our village is hidden behind a waterfall to protect us from our enemies."

Koiga led the group to the waterfall that they had seen in the distance. To the amazement of the three genin, Koiga stepped onto the water and kept strolling along as if he were walking on the ground.

"How... how is he doing that?" Akane asked, amazed by the feat. Koiga looked back at them a bit confused when they didn't follow.

"Do your genin not know how to walk on water?" Koiga asked, confused. Aoi rubbed the back of her sheepishly.

"I'll get around to teaching it to them when they're ready. These two still have trouble with tree-climbing!" she replied, putting her hands on Naruto and Akane's heads, much to their disgruntlement.

"I... see." Koiga spoke hesitantly, "I don't wish to sound rude, but isn't a bit late for them to not have mastered water-walking at this point?"

"Oh, no! They've only just been genin for a little over three months now." Aoi explained. Koiga had thought that Naruto, Akane, and Hikari had been genin for at least over a year because of the level of the mission.

"Ah, I understand. My apologies." Koiga apologized, "The Hokage must really think highly of your team to give you a B-rank mission."

The three genin couldn't help but blush slightly at the praise.

"Well, I guess we'll have to take the long way to Taki." Koiga said, walking to the shore. The genin watched him all the way.

Naruto had never seen anyone walk on water before; not even Kakashi or Yuugao, and neither had anyone brought it up.

'It has to be a step up from tree-climbing.' Naruto thought, thinking about the conversation that Aoi had with the Waterfall jounin, 'The concept must be similar. By sending chakra to your feet, you stay afloat, but it can't be the same. You can't stick to water like you can stick to a tree.'

Naruto barely paid attention as he walked with his team to Taki. It was another important lesson that he had learned from Anko; one that he had no intention of changing: question everything.

He didn't just like to know facts. As a seal-specialist, Naruto thrived on knowing how and why things worked the way they did; he wouldn't be satisfied with anything less. Having been taught to think like this at an early age, the adage had stuck with him.

'We'd have to accommodate for the shifting of the water, meaning that maintaining just a single layer of chakra below the soles of our feet wouldn't be enough.' Naruto thought, 'It's all a matter of using chakra in a way to maintain balance.'

While Naruto pondered the secret behind water-walking, and everybody else on Team Nine knew that it wouldn't be long before he figured it out, Hikari and Akane took in their surroundings. They had already passed the waterfall hiding the entrance to the village, and were currently walking through a damp cave that presumably led to the village itself.

"Aoi, how come we're going to stay in Taki for so long?" Hikari suddenly spoke up, remembering the earlier conversation with the Waterfall jounin.

"Well, the information in the scroll needs to be decoded, and once Taki has that information, we need to take the scroll back. It's standard procedure for information request between villages." Aoi explained. Akane frowned at her explanation.

"But why don't you just tell them the information?" she asked. Beside her, Naruto stroked his chin deep in thought.

"That's because I don't know the information myself." Aoi said, surprising the genin.

"What! Why not!" Akane explained. It was Hikari that answered.

"Because... spoken information can be overheard." Hikari said, "But I want to know why you can't help them decode the information. It would go by much faster, wouldn't it?"

Aoi nodded.

"It would, but I don't know how to decode it." she replied, "There's a lot of different types of codes for different types of information, and each requires a different decoding method. The only people that can really decode almost all types of coded info are specialists."

"There're specialists?"

"Yeah. The thing about decoding specialists is that if you choose to become one, then it's all you're allowed to do with your ninja career. They're closely guarded in all ninja villages because if they get kidnapped or betray the village, then it'll be a lot of trouble for the hidden village, especially if scrolls get stolen. That's why decoding specialists are usually forbidden to leave the village on missions." Aoi explained.

"But not all scrolls are written in code." Naruto said, finally speaking up. He had obviously figured out enough about the workings behind water-walking if he chose to join in the conversation.

'The scroll that Gensei stole wasn't in code at all.' he thought to himself, thinking back.

"Those are mostly jutsu scrolls." Aoi replied, as if reading his mind, "Most jutsu are commonplace these days, and it takes a lot of effort to code a scroll. Of course, jutsu scrolls are still pretty heavily guarded; it takes a hell of a ninja to be able to waltz into a village and just steal one."

"So what are we going to do for two weeks?" Hikari asked, looking annoyed, "You could have at least told us beforehand so that we could've told our families."

"That would've ruined the surprise." Aoi told her, laughing sheepishly, "Konoha and Taki are close allies, not to mention that Taki is the closest ninja village to Konoha, and vice versa. We'll be training with some Taki teams to promote close relations; the Hokage set it up with Taki's village leader."

"You keep saying the village leader. Isn't there an equivalent to a Kage in Taki?" Hikari asked. This time, it was Koiga that answered.

"Taki is a pretty small ninja village when compared to the major five. We don't officially have any Kage; just a village leader to help protect the village when it's threatened." he told the genin, "Anyway, we're here."

The group stepped out of the cave into the light, and immediately, their breaths caught in their throats at the sight.

Takigakure was situated in a valley, built around a gigantic tree and a lake. The tree itself was easily the biggest tree that they had seen; it was probably taller than even the Hokage Monument, and it was quite thick as well. The lake sparkled in the sunlight, creating a breathtaking scene to behold.

"That sure is a big tree." Akane remarked.

"The waterfall and cliffs circling it block it from view because the tree is in a valley." Naruto explained, "That way, if someone were to invade, they'd eventually have to go into the valley, and Taki ninja have the higher ground if they were to attack from the tree."

'And there are probably underground roots under the tree, so that civilians might escape and the Taki nin can circle round and attack from behind as well.' Naruto didn't say. It might make the Taki jounin a bit suspicious that a genin knew information like that, though it was just common sense to the blond.

"Your student is insightful." Koiga commented, looking slightly impressed with the young genin, "He's smarter than my genin at any rate."

"He can pick up things even faster than some jounin." Aoi bragged.

Koiga led the Konoha nin into the valley; there was a winding road that led to the housing area, cutting through the lush greenery around them. Once they reached the edge of the actual village, Koiga stopped.

"Your genin can feel free to roam around the town." Koiga said to Aoi, "Just take note that there are several Taki nin keeping watch because there are several teams from different hidden villages present. You should probably come with me, Aoi-san, to meet with the village leader."

Aoi nodded.

"Alright team! Feel free to wander around!" Aoi told her genin, "Akane; don't burn anything. Hikari, you keep an eye on her."

Akane frowned at being singled out, but Hikari nodded in assent.

"And you!" Aoi said suddenly, pointing at Naruto, "No sleeping with any women until I've had my turn!"

Naruto rubbed his temple in annoyance, noticing the look at Koiga's face at Aoi's proclamation. No doubt, Koiga didn't know about Aoi's... _unique_ sense of humour.

"Alright, dismissed. I'll meet you guys near the lake in..." Aoi looked back at Koiga.

"Two hours." Koiga supplied.

"Two hours!" Aoi exclaimed unhappily, "Aw man! Then let's hurry and get it over with!"

Naruto, Hikari, and Akane blinked as both Aoi and Koiga suddenly disappeared from their views. Then they looked at each other, still silent. Only one thought permeated through their heads.

'What do we do now?'

* * *

Naruto had gone his separate way from Hikari and Akane. He had elected to get some ramen while Akane and Hikari chose to walk around the town to get feel for it. He had given Hikari the scroll with all of their necessities after removing his own personal scrolls from within it. He had walked around aimlessly at first, looking through all the shops, hoping to find the nearest ramen shop, but eventually caved in and asked the nearest Taki resident for the best place for ramen.

He had been directed to this particular shop, and he now stood in front of it, memorizing his surroundings. There wasn't much of a rush as there usually was at Ichiraku, but Konoha was much more populous than Taki, so it was to be expected.

Naruto stepped inside the stand and took the nearest available stool, sliding in beside another customer that was bent over their own food.

"Welcome! What can I get you?"

"Beef ramen, please." Naruto replied, momentarily glancing at the green-haired girl beside him. Then he froze.

Slowly, Naruto turned his head towards the Taki genin beside him, nervously noticing that she was now staring at him with narrow eyes.

"Uhh... hey there..." Naruto said, hesitantly. The girl's eyes widened.

"You! I know you!" she exclaimed, "You're that guy that got me in trouble with Koiga-sensei!"

'Is she stupid or something?' Naruto thought, looking at her weirdly, 'She got herself in trouble.'

"Here you are." the ramen chef interrupted, handing both Naruto and Fuu a bowl of ramen each. Naruto noticed that Fuu's ramen was topped with an excessive amount of fishcake.

Fuu turned away from him, lifelessly picking at some fishcake. Naruto took the opportunity to attack his own ramen. It was quickly becoming dark out, and he trusted Hikari had booked at least one room at an inn by now; he'd have to meet his team out by the lake pretty soon.

"Sorry for calling you a criminal." Fuu said unexpectedly, not even looking at the blond. Naruto looked at her in surprise. It seemed that it took a lot of effort on her part to apologize. He quickly gulped down the ramen in his mouth before replying.

"Oh, no problem." Naruto replied, and a silence settled upon the two of them again. The girl looked a little down, so Naruto decided that he should at least try to cheer her up; she _had_ apologized after all.

"So, why were you looking for a criminal? Do you fight crime?" Naruto asked her, hoping to spark some cheerfulness out of her. The girl actually looked at him this time, but she didn't respond as he hoped she would.

'Huh. She's not as enthusiastic as I thought.' he thought, frowning slightly.

"Yeah..." Fuu replied, still sounding dejected, "I guess you could say that."

"So... how's your latest case? Not going well?" Naruto asked; it was pretty obvious that the girl didn't have much luck with whatever mystery she was trying to solve. Fuu looked at him suspiciously.

"Why do you care?" she asked him, frowning at his curiosity.

"Oh! Because..." Naruto raced to think of an answer, "... you look like you could... use some help?"

The girl brightened somewhat.

"You're offering to help me?" she asked the blond, taken aback. Naruto inwardly cringed; that wasn't what he was trying to say at all. But he couldn't take back his answer now, lest he extinguish the hope he had created in the girl.

"Uhh, yeah, sure. If you want help, I mean. But you're probably a top level investigator, so you probably don't need my help, I mean-" Naruto babbled, but the green-haired girl cut him off.

"Of course you can help me! Nobody ever wants to help me!" she replied excitedly, "Alright!"

'Ah crap.' Naruto cursed inwardly. That wasn't what he intended at all.

"The name's Fuu!" she introduced herself cheerfully, holding her hand out for him to shake. Naruto looked at her proffered hand distrustfully.

'I can't just trust her like this.' he thought, but a certain memory of Yuugao came to mind.

_"If someone offers you a hand in friendship, you should take it." Yuugao said, leaning back against the dinner table. Naruto frowned slightly._

_ "But what if he's trying to trick me?" Naruto said, "People haven't really been friendly to me in the past; why should I trust this Naoto guy to be different?"_

_ Yuugao propped her elbows on the table before replying._

"_It may be safer to distrust this person, but do you want to live in that world? Or do you want to take that risk, in case that possible friendship might be worth it? The choice is yours, Naruto."_

'The choice is mine.'

He didn't need to live like Anko did.

Naruto reached out and firmly grasped Fuu's waiting hand.

* * *

Much to Naruto's surprise, Fuu's ramen wasn't just covered with fishcakes; there wasn't even any ramen in the bowl. He watched with awe as the girl mowed down an entire bowl of fishcake all by herself. Apparently, she loved the stuff.

According to the chef, she ate more fishcake than she did ramen.

Fuu noticed his baffled gaze.

"Oh yeah, I never got your name." she said, looking at him expectantly.

"Oh, it's... umm..." Naruto spoke hesitantly, "Uzumaki."

Fuu kept staring at him, still waiting for him to finish.

"Well? There's more right? Uzumaki seems like a last name." she said, wolfing down some fishcake.

"Umm, yeah. Uzumaki..." Naruto said in trepidation, "Naruto."

Fuu paused mid-bite, gaping at the whiskered blond.

"Your name's _Naruto_?" she said as if not believing her ears. Naruto let out a relieved sigh.

'At least she didn't react like Aoi did when she first saw me.' Naruto thought, relaxing.

"Yep."

Fuu kept staring at him, her mouth wide open much to Naruto's amusement. After a moment or two, Fuu ate the waiting _naruto_ in her hand, chewing furiously.

"You are a blessed one!" Fuu said reverently, "You..."

The girl seemed to be at a loss for words. Judging by the look on the chef's face, this was probably a first. Naruto decided to put some words into her mouth.

"So, how about this case?" Naruto asked. He'd help her solve her mystery quickly, and return to his team as soon as possible.

"Oh, yeah!" Fuu said, breaking out of her awe, "Alright, I'll fill you in on the details."

"Okay, the suspect is known only as... '_The Pickler'!_" Fuu proclaimed.

"Suspect? You already have a suspect?" Naruto interjected. Fuu gave him a confused look.

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Continue." Naruto said, concluding that she must have meant 'culprit' instead. Fuu gave him an odd look, but continued nonetheless.

"Okay. The Pickler is a criminal that's been going around sneaking into people's homes and taking their cucumbers, pickling them unawares! When the victims came back home, they stumbled upon the horrifying scene only to find a card left for them." Fuu told him, pulling a card out of her pocket. On it was a crudely drawn pickle along with the label, '_Pickles to You!_' written on it.

'Oh, you've got to be kidding me.' Naruto thought, fighting the feeling to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

"She must be caught!" Fuu exclaimed passionately.

"So it's a she?" Naruto asked, smiling slightly.

"Huh? Oh, I dunno. I think it's a she; most men don't know how to pickle vegetables." she said, apparently not remembering that she had accused _him_ of being the 'Pickler' earlier, "But that doesn't matter! We have to solve this mystery, Naruto!"

"Sure thing, boss." Naruto said, saluting the girl. Fuu smiled brightly at him. Naruto absentmindedly noticed that she had a nice smile.

"Alright! First things first, I have to teach you how to be an investigator." Fuu told him. Naruto nodded, also grabbing his ramen once again.

"Well, the first thing is, see, you halfta talk like this, see?" Fuu lectured him, adopting the strange accent that she had used when he had met her earlier.

"You gotta end your sentences with the word 'see', see? That way, everything you say is a question, see?" Fuu continued, "Got it, bub?"

"Where... did you learn all of this?" Naruto asked her, perplexed.

"Books. And movies too." Fuu answered promptly, shrugging.

"So not as an investigator?" Naruto retorted, amused.

"That too." Fuu immediately corrected, "It was fifty-fifty."

'Okay.' Naruto thought, greatly entertained, 'Fifty percent books, fifty percent movies, and fifty percent as an investigator. Yup.'

"Okay, please continue." Naruto said, inclining his head.

"The second thing is that you have to use aggressive words to describe people, see? Words like 'bub', or 'punk', see?"

"Sure thing, bub." Naruto answered, grinning at her. Fuu looked at him, excited.

"Hey! You're learning!" Fuu said, looking at him delightedly.

"I'm a fast learner, see?" Naruto cheekily replied. Fuu erupted in laughter, and Naruto couldn't help but join in. Her laughter was infectious.

"Hehehe, you're good!" Fuu said, still chuckling, "Alright, bub, let's ditch this dirt-house, and sniff out some clues, see?"

The chef of the ramen stand gave Fuu a sour look at her 'special' name for his stand.

"Tch, see if I ever give you any fishcake again." the chef grumbled, "Ungrateful brat."

Fuu's eyes widened.

"No! I didn't mean it!"

* * *

Naruto followed Fuu around, since she looked like she knew where she was going. He noticed that people on the streets were quick to avoid the green-haired girl, much like it used to be for him back in Konoha. Fuu either didn't notice it as she gabbed away with the blond, or she chose to ignore it.

'Odd.' Naruto thought, 'She must've noticed it.'

It was already dark out now, and Naruto would soon have to meet up with his team, though he had been so engrossed in conversation with the cheerful Taki kunoichi that he had forgotten to bring up the fact.

"Alright, Naruto; it's actually kind of late to look for clues." Fuu said, gesturing at the starry sky, "I should be getting home soon."

"Yeah, I should probably meet up with my teamma-" Naruto started, but Fuu suddenly cut him off.

"Oh, I have an idea! Where are you staying! You can stay at my place!" Fuu proclaimed. Naruto immediately felt a bit uncomfortable, but Fuu didn't seem observant enough to notice it. He barely knew the girl, and though she was probably as friendly as she seemed, he definitely didn't trust her enough to sleep in the same vicinity as her without his teammates there.

Yuugao told him to trust people, but he was sure this wasn't what she had in mind.

"Oh, I have-" he tried to tell Fuu, but she interrupted him again.

"I live alone, so it'll just be the two of us! We can stay up and discuss investigation plans! And I have some sleeping bags at home as well, so we can camp out on my living room floor! It'll be awesome!" Fuu exclaimed, looking at him pleadingly, "It'll be the first time someone's stayed over at my place! Come on, Naruto! Please!"

Naruto could see the hope in Fuu's eyes and didn't see how he could refuse without crushing it. As isolated as Naruto was in Konoha, both Akane and Hikari had stayed over at his place with him and Yuugao on several occasions; he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the girl. So he swallowed his distrust, and nodded.

"Al- alright." Naruto replied, despite the major misgivings he felt.

"ALRIGHT!" Fuu shouted, happily.

'Damn it! Why do these things always happen to me?' Naruto thought furiously.

"I have to tell my team." Naruto said, but Fuu shook her head.

"There's no time, Naruto; it's too late! Just tell 'em tomorrow morning! Come on, let's go!" Fuu exclaimed, rushing off towards her home, causing the whiskered boy to curse at the girl's carelessness.

Naruto was a bit wary of creating a Kage Bunshin in the middle of the village to go inform his teammates; he was sure that he was currently being watched by Taki nin, and using a jutsu, especially a high level one like Kage Bunshin, might be a cause for concern for them. And to a lesser extent, Naruto was a bit wary of revealing his skills so openly.

'Hopefully, they'll understand.' Naruto thought. Aoi wasn't very strict, and his team knew that he could take care of himself. Not to mention that it would be a terrible diplomatic situation between Konoha and Taki if something were to happen to Naruto in Taki. Aoi would understand that he was safe.

'Well,' Naruto thought, 'at least Yuugao-neechan can no longer say that I have trust issues.'

"Oi, Naruto! You're going to be left behind!" Fuu called. Naruto snapped out of his thoughts.

"Co- coming!"

* * *

"Which villages sent scrolls?" the man asked. He and his companion stood in abject darkness, not a soul around them. Most civilians in Waterfall had likely gone to sleep at this time, and there weren't many shinobi around.

"Leaf, Lightning, Rock, Sand, as well as the Hidden Sound." his companion replied. The man shifted towards him, his body language showing slight surprise.

"Oto? Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Interesting. I didn't think that Orochimaru cared enough to promote diplomatic relations between Taki and his farce of a Hidden Village." the man commented, "Of course, he probably has ulterior motives."

"It is likely that the information he sent is directly opposite to what the other villages have provided." his companion replied.

"Probably. Nobody knows that Orochimaru is spearheading Otogakure. Still, his information might be more damaging to our cause if it were decoded. Are all the representatives still here?" the man asked.

"Yes."

"Hmm... I hope they won't cause us trouble." the man commented.

"Orochimaru's subjects might be cause for concern, but Konoha, Kumo, Iwa and Suna all sent genin teams; other than the jounin accompanying them, they won't be much trouble. The Konoha team is only a few months old; those genin are no cause for concern." the companion replied, "Suna might present some trouble however; they sent the children of the Kazekage. Each genin on that team is skilled, and the redhead is especially dangerous."

"I know of the redhead. Sabaku no Gaara's unstable psyche is a focal point for the plan. What about Iwa and Kumo?"

"Both are likely better than the Konoha team, but still little cause for concern." the informant continued.

"Then, we can soon set the plan in motion." the first man said. He looked over the Hidden Waterfall Village.

The lake glittered under the moonlight, and the tree stood as gigantic as ever. Meanwhile, the village slept, unaware of the impending disaster that was to come.

* * *

Chapter 07 – Hidden Waterfall – Terminating

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Here are some notes from before the revision:

"_There's been a three month gap between this chapter and the previous chapter. Naruto has spent practically every single day for three months with his team (with the occasional off-day). I'm not sure if that was the same in canon Naruto, or if they only met up a couple of times per week, but that's what it was in here. Three months is a long time to get to know somebody, especially if you spend every day with them, actively doing things such as missions or training etc... It seemed really plausible to me that they would be really close; which really goes to show how dysfunctional Team 7 was in canon."_

Anyway, practically nothing was changed. It was a combination of both my being lazy and my not finding much that needed changing.

Also, in this chapter, I explained a little bit of Naruto and Anko's time together. She taught him a lot of weird stuff for someone to teach a young child. She did love him, but she was _not_ fit to take care of a child. Some of her (bad) teachings are scattered around in the story, kind of like puzzle pieces. You can see them in flashbacks and in Naruto's thoughts and reactions. Things as small as words or sentences. I really go out of my way to do small things like that, but I don't think anyone has really noticed.

Anyway, the latest chapter is next. Read on! And don't forget to review!

knuckz


	11. 08: The Rising Water

Come Full Circle  
by: knuckz

* * *

Summary: Ninjas use taijutsu to beat their opponents down, genjutsu to disillusion them, ninjutsu to destroy them or heal them, and weaponry for quick kills. Some specialize in specific areas, and exceed in that talent, while others keep a general base in all aspects. As such, there are general ninja's and nin-, tai-, and genjutsu masters respectively. This was before Uzumaki Naruto became a ninja. For the first time, there will be a fuuinjutsu specialist.

* * *

"blah" – talking

'blah' – thinking

* * *

This chapter is currently **unbeta'd**. This message will be removed once it has been.

* * *

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** This new chapter is accompanied with the ENTIRE rewrite all done. So basically, I went over every single chapter that came before this and tweaked them, some small and some large tweaks. I'd recommend going back and rereading, though nothing too major was done. The plot is mainly the same.

* * *

Chapter 08 – The Rising Water – Commencing

* * *

"Rise and shine!"

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the sunlight peeking through the nearby window. Blinking away the sleep, he noticed a face hovering above his own, a pair of orange eyes staring into his own blue.

"Wah!"

Naruto fumbled under his covers at the proximity of the girl above him, causing Fuu, who had been leaning on top of him, to fall forward. Her forehead smacked straight onto his, causing both to groan in pain as Fuu rolled off of him.

"Ow!" Fuu whimpered in pain, clutching her forehead, "Why'd you go and do that for?"

Beside her, Naruto was in a similar state.

"Why the hell were you leaning in so close!" he shot back.

"I was trying to wake you up!" Fuu threw back. Naruto gently pressed his palm against his aching forehead.

"Well, why didn't you just poke me with a stick or something!" he retorted.

"Well, why did you decide to sleep for so long!" Fuu replied, slowly pushing off the ground. Naruto stopped groaning at Fuu's question.

"Wait. What time is it?" Naruto asked, but his question was answered when he caught sight of the clock on the wall. He suddenly shot up, ignoring the pain in his forehead which was already ebbing away.

"Holy crap! I have to go find my team!" Naruto exclaimed, scrambling to get ready. He grabbed the scroll sitting on the coffee table and sprinted to the bathroom to quickly wash up.

"I'll come with!" Fuu yelled through the door.

The green-haired girl had already changed out of sleepwear into her regular shinobi outfit while the blond Konoha nin was still asleep. She slipped on her sandals and patiently waited for Naruto to finish getting ready. She wasn't kept waiting long, as Naruto soon darted out of the bathroom and straight to the front door. He quickly slipped on his own sandals and stepped outside, running in place, waiting for Fuu to lock up.

After she finished locking up, he darted away towards the lake where his team was most likely waiting, Fuu hot on his steps.

* * *

"Any sign of Naruto?"

Hikari shook her head. Her blond teammate had yet to show up, and the beginnings of worry began to settle on her shoulders. Naruto knew how to take care of himself, but that didn't prevent her from worrying a little bit. In any case, Hikari kept a level head on her shoulders; the same couldn't be said about her companions.

Aoi paced back and forth, muttering under her breath, while Akane sat near the lake, most likely thinking up nonsensical situations for the blond to be in. Hikari expected this of Akane, who was prone to worry over anything, but she had expected better of their sensei who was supposed to be a jounin. But those expectations soon died when she heard exactly what Aoi was muttering under her breath.

"... didn't I take my chance! These foreign floozies probably already corrupted him by now! He's going to get a piece of my mind when..."

Hikari sighed. Sometimes, Aoi was bit too much.

"Hey!"

Hikari, Akane, and Aoi looked over at the source of the noise only to see Naruto running towards them with a Taki kunoichi (the same one they had seen earlier) hot on his trail. He skidded to a stop in front of them, huffing from his run. The Taki genin slowed to a stop as well, oddly unaffected by her run.

"Oi, Naruto, where were you!" Akane asked, stepping forward angrily, "I thought that you'd been dragged under the lake by some weird fish-people or something!"

"Let him catch his breath, Akane." Hikari said.

"Fish-people in the lake?" Fuu spoke up, looking intrigued, but Naruto cut into the conversation before Akane could do any more damage.

"No, no! Akane-chan's just joking!" Naruto quickly told Fuu, before turning to his teammates to explain his absence, "Sorry about that. Fuu here let me stay in her place overnight. She wouldn't take no for an answer."

Aoi glared at him.

"So, you reject me every time, but the first foreign kunoichi that asks, and you say yes!" she said, "Naruto! I'm wounded!"

"Are you Aoi-sensei?" Fuu suddenly spoke up, looking at the Aoi in something akin to admiration. Aoi looked at the girl, all anger immediately forgotten.

"Yep. Who's asking?"

"Wow... I'm- I'm Fuu! Naruto's told me about you!" Fuu said, bowing reverently. Aoi looked pleased at the respect the Waterfall genin was showing her.

"Oh really?" Aoi asked, smiling slightly.

"Yeah! You're way cooler than what he told me!" Fuu said, as if disbelieving that she was actually talking to Aoi. Hikari shot Naruto a disbelieving look, at which Naruto pulled a face and shook his head.

He hadn't been complimenting Aoi to Fuu; he had been _complaining_ about her.

"Yes... I _am_ pretty cool, aren't I?" Aoi said, grinning.

"Super cool!" Fuu replied, grinning back. Akane joined Naruto and Hikari at the side and the three watched the spectacle in front of them.

"You know," Hikari said, "I'd never thought I'd see the day where someone thought Aoi was cool."

Naruto just shook his head.

"That's because Fuu is a total dork." he replied, watching Fuu and Aoi rattle on. At his comment, both Hikari and Akane looked at Naruto expectantly.

"I met her inside a ramen stand, sitting alone. I guess... she just reminded me of me, when I was younger." Naruto told them. Akane and Hikari eyed the blond for a moment, before nodding silently. It was only for a brief moment, but even in that miniscule amount of time an understanding had passed through the three teammates.

Aoi and Fuu joined the three genin soon after.

"Alright you three. Fuu-chan explained what happened yesterday, so I decided that she's going to join us today." Aoi told them. The three genin nodded in assent, having no problem with it. Akane, the most trusting of the lot, was the first to go over and engage the equally trusting Fuu in conversation.

"Naruto." Aoi said, adopting a serious tone, "I need to talk to you alone."

Naruto nodded briskly, and Hikari silently went over to engage Fuu in conversation as well. Aoi led Naruto away from the three conversing girls.

"Sorry about last night, sensei. It's just-" Naruto began, but Aoi cut him off.

"Don't worry about that. It's something else." Aoi said, speaking quietly, "There's something going in Taki."

Naruto frowned slightly.

"What?"

"The information that Taki requested had to do with a rumour of a sighting of a Taki missing-nin." Aoi whispered to the blond, "And just last night, there was evidence of an intruder here in Taki. I noticed it with my Byakugan."

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed, as he went over the information in his head.

"Do you think it was the missing-nin?" he asked quietly. Aoi shook her head.

"I doubt it. The ninja in question would be long dead by now. Takigakure is investigating why these rumours are floating around." Aoi explained, "But there seems to be something going on behind the scenes."

"What do you think is happening?" Naruto asked.

"I'm not sure." Aoi said, looking over the lake, "I've been feeling a bit uneasy about this situation. Just be sure to keep an eye and ear open. And look after your teammates; in fact, you should probably keep an eye over that Taki kunoichi as well."

Naruto nodded in assent.

"Got it." he replied. Aoi bit her lip, still thinking.

"This is a bad situation for everyone, especially with the presence of foreign... nin..." Aoi started, trailing off as a thought struck her. Over by the lake, Akane, Hikari, and Fuu were all laughing over something Fuu had said. Naruto tore his eyes away from them to look at Aoi.

"Sensei?" Naruto asked. Aoi turned towards him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Naruto, I need your mind. This obviously has something to do with all the foreign nin that have gathered." Aoi said, "Rarely do so many villages simultaneously gather together. Let's say that someone is planning something. What could it be?"

Naruto bit his bottom lip in thought.

"Taki requested the information because of rumours about a thought-dead missing-nin." he said, "We can start off with that."

Aoi nodded.

"Maybe that missing-nin isn't dead?" Naruto suggested. Aoi slowly shook her head.

"He'd be over a hundred years old today. Even the healthiest person rarely lives that long. Missing-nin usually live in constant fear of being hunted; no ninja can possibly live that long." Aoi replied, shooting down Naruto's suggestion.

Back with his teammates, Fuu erupted in another bout of laughter at something Akane had said. Naruto found himself longing to be with them, but he ignored that feeling. There were more important things to worry about, especially if what Aoi was thinking was true.

"Maybe it has less to do with that missing-nin and more to do with the information each village has on him." Naruto said, "Taki would have access to information from so many different sources."

Aoi narrowed her eyes, going over what Naruto had just said.

"If all that information pointed towards a certain direction..." she said slowly. Naruto nodded. It seemed plausible.

"It means that someone doesn't want that information to be discovered." Naruto said, "And because Taki has received the information from all the sources, it means that most of the scrolls containing that information are in one place."

"So someone can attack and wipe out all of that information at once." Aoi concluded. Naruto nodded in acquiesce.

"It must be something important, something that might pose a threat to Taki, if not all the involved villages." Naruto said, "If the information was discovered, then all our villages might have reason to pursue whatever we discovered from that information."

"So, if there really is someone planning to attack, then they'll do it soon." Aoi said.

"They'd have to attack before the information can be decoded. So as soon the last scroll has been delivered, they'll attack." Naruto said, nervously swallowing. If this turned out to be true, then Taki might soon become a battlefield. Aoi narrowed her eyes.

"We were the last team, I believe." Aoi said. Naruto shook his head in disbelief.

"Taki has never been invaded." he whispered furiously, remembering Hikari's words, "Even if something were to happen, it would surely fail."

"Except they're not trying to take over Taki." Aoi retorted, "Their only aim is to destroy those scrolls; they'll be able to move quickly."

"Then..." Naruto spoke up, looking around wildly, "we have to warn-"

And just like that, an explosion erupted somewhere inside the village, attracting the attention of Team Nine as well as Fuu. All five shinobi looked at the rising smoke in shock.

'Damn! Could this be...?' Naruto thought furiously. Aoi was the first to snap out of her shock, immediately taking command.

"Everybody here! You as well, Fuu!" Aoi ordered. Nobody dared disobeyed her, so Akane, Hikari, and Fuu all ran over to both Naruto and Aoi. Just then, a second explosion erupted elsewhere in the village.

"Shit!" Aoi swore, glancing at the smoke rising from there as well. She ignored the screams of fear arising from the village to look at her team plus the Waterfall addition. It was obvious that this was an attack. It seemed that she and Naruto's predictions had come true, sooner than either of them had thought.

It was then that Fuu suddenly decided to run towards the second explosion, no one reacting fast enough to stop her.

"Damn it, Fuu!" Naruto swore, taking off after the Waterfall kunoichi.

"Naruto!" Aoi shouted after him, "Shit!"

But as she was about to run after him, another explosion erupted once more, this time visibly close to them. Aoi stared in the direction in which the two genin had run.

Should she really just let him go? There was no doubt that the blond would face a great amount of danger, but of her three genin, he was the most resourceful. He knew how to take care of himself, but she still wanted to be there to protect him. Aoi didn't understand why she didn't take off after him, why she was still hesitating. The pressure of the situation was bearing on her, and despite all the misgivings she felt, she let him go.

"You two are with me." Aoi instructed, turning to the two remaining genin, but she couldn't help but think she was making a mistake by not going after the blond.

'Stay safe.' she prayed. Then she motioned to Akane and Hikari to follow her.

The three sprinted into the devastation, unknowing of the dangers awaiting them.

* * *

'This is insane!' Koiga swore. He moved about quickly, first priority being to get the non-shinobi citizens to safety. All around him, people ran around in panic; nobody knew who was attacking.

'To do this in broad daylight... just out of the blue...' Koiga thought, directing citizens towards the nearest safe-house, 'It was totally unexpected!'

Around him, his fellow Waterfall nin succeeded in clearing out the majority of the villagers away from the danger zone. Despite being a small ninja village, Takigakure was still as efficient as one of the major hidden villages; a feat they were quite proud of.

Leaving his job to the nearby chuunin and genin, Koiga cautiously approached the source of the explosion. Whoever dared to do this was surely confident in their abilities, and in case they decided to stick around, caution was a necessary precaution.

Just then, Koiga noticed flashes of orange and green run past him, straight to cause of all the commotion. He was startled to see that it was the Konoha genin and his own student, Fuu.

'Damn it! Fuu, you idiot! Don't go running into danger!' Koiga swore once again, but another explosion erupted, this time on the lake, sending water flying everywhere. Koiga glanced back over the water, swearing like a sailor.

That attack had been closer to Taki's main base of operation, and he knew that his newest priority was to get there immediately. The most likely scenario was that somebody was after the scrolls recently delivered by the various Hidden Villages; the timing of the attack was too convenient.

'We have to protect that information!'

The jounin cast a glance at the direction that his student had run to, worried for her safety. But he knew what he had to do.

'You damned girl! You better not die!' Koiga thought, before leaping away towards the lake.

* * *

Fuu ran towards the explosion, ignoring the horror rising in her chest at the thought that somebody was attacking her village. Her _home_.

Fuu had been a genin for only a little over three months, same as Naruto, but she had still seen her fair share of skirmishes. Growing up in Waterfall, Fuu had often picked fights with people just to have some to pass the time with. The green-haired girl had always been more agile then her fellow nin, so she had often ended up winning, which had somewhat alienated her from the other citizens.

Not that she hadn't already been alienated enough.

Fuu had been told at an earlier age about her true status in Takigakure; she was the container of the seven-tailed horned beetle. She had been told once, and since then hadn't really given it much thought; it really didn't matter. Taki hadn't really been all that discriminatory because of it. A lot of people did go out of their way to avoid her, but Fuu knew that it was because the citizens of Taki were all just a bunch of 'pansies', as she called them. They wanted a quiet life, not a life of daring adventure that Fuu would be sure to incite. Taki was a quiet place, and she often found it boring.

But that didn't mean that Fuu didn't love her village. Regardless of how boring she found life in Taki to be, it was her birthplace and it was her home. Her comrades, and even her parents had died fighting to protect it, and Fuu would make them proud by not letting their sacrifices be in vain.

Fuu suddenly stopped, right at the edge of the explosion area, allowing Naruto to catch up to the girl. Smoke was still rising from the small crater that the explosion had caused, and the two genin could make out a figure behind the smoke.

"Fuu." Naruto said, taking deep breaths, eying the figure behind the smoke, "Don't just take off like that."

Once the smoke had cleared, Naruto saw a chilling sight. A redheaded boy stood stoically in the middle, a large gourd strapped to his back. He was looming down upon a Takigakure ninja, who lay at the redhead's feet, broken and bleeding. Just then, the sand on the ground leapt up as if by magic and wrapped around the Waterfall ninja, completely covering him. Naruto watched the scene unfold with narrowed eyes.

'What is this technique?' he thought, noticing the Suna hitai-ate on the redheaded boy, 'Sand... it must be his.'

The two petrified genin watched the redhead raise his hand and close it into a fist; the sand suddenly compressed, crushing the helpless Takigakure ninja trapped inside, sending his blood flying everywhere. Naruto's eyes widened at the cruel display.

Behind him, Fuu looked at the scene in shock. This... _monster_ was attacking her comrades!

"I'll kill you!" Fuu suddenly screamed, and she charged at the redheaded boy with a speed surprising the blond Konoha nin. Naruto cursed and ran after her in close pursuit.

Fuu leapt at the redhead with a loud roar, her fist cocked back. Behind her, Naruto began quickly performing hand-seals, readying a jutsu.

The redheaded boy, more commonly known by his title of Sabuku no Gaara, or Gaara of the Desert, turned towards her as soon as she ran at him, slightly surprised at her sudden attack. But he didn't flinch, as just as her fist was about to make contact with his face, he leaned back, letting it whip by him. Bringing up his own hands, Gaara took hold of her extended arm and pulled.

With a yelp, Fuu was lifted off the ground as Gaara spun, swinging her around once and tossing her back in the direction from which she came. Fortunately for the green-haired girl, Naruto was there and he held his ground, grabbing her in a bear hug as she crashed into him.

"Thanks." Fuu said, stepping beside the blond as he let her go. Gaara eyed his two opponents coldly, gauging their strengths as best he could; Naruto did the same.

"Why are you attacking?" Naruto suddenly asked, stalling the inevitable battle. Gaara's facial expression didn't change at all.

'Damn, he doesn't reveal any information.' Naruto thought, 'He's good.'

"He attacked me first," Gaara replied, "so I killed him."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the casual response.

'Meaning he's likely killed before. He's not only good, but dangerous.'

"Just like you attacked me." Gaara said, his eyes widening slightly, his eyes flickering toward Fuu. Naruto followed his eyesight, only to notice a small amount of sand around Fuu's feet.

"Fuu!" was all Naruto could get out before Fuu was swept off her feet once more by the Sand-nin.

"Aaaah!" Fuu screamed, being tossed high into the air by the tendril of sand that Gaara had created. Naruto rushed at the redhead, tossing a kunai ahead. Gaara deftly dodged the kunai, running to the side, aiming to get the blond to change the direction of his charge. Unfortunately for the Suna shinobi, charging him hadn't been Naruto's agenda. The thrown kunai suddenly burst into a Kage Bunshin, revealing its true identity, and threw another kunai at the redhead, aiming to keep him on his toes.

Seeing his chance, Naruto quickly created a Kage Bunshin, and holding out his hands, swung it around, much like Gaara had done to Fuu, tossing it into the air to assist the airborne Waterfall genin.

Turning his attention back to Gaara, Naruto tapped a seal attached to his pants leg, creating a few more Shadow Clones to help him deal with attacking the Suna genin.

As the blonds rushed at him, Gaara held out his hand, forming a handful of shuriken in his hands. Swinging, the redhead threw all of them at the coming blonds.

"Suna shuriken!" Gaara called, alerting Naruto to what was coming his way. Not stopping his rush, the Kage Bunshin around him suddenly veered off to either side as he ran at the shuriken head on. Slapping his hands together to concentrate his chakra properly, Naruto focused them to his legs and took a giant leap, avoiding the shuriken that flew past him.

"Merge!" Gaara said, squeezing his open hand into a fist. The flying shuriken suddenly melded together, forming a much larger, single shuriken.

"Fuuma shuriken!"

'A Fuuma shuriken!' Naruto thought, in surprise, looking back. The demon windmill shuriken suddenly swerved back towards him, aimed towards his neck. Unable to dodge, Naruto could only watch as the shuriken approached him at a speed faster than he was running, threatening to sever his head...

...and his life.

Fuu chose that exact moment to land right on top of the horizontally-spinning blade, dispersing it into small grains of sand once more. Thanking her profusely, Naruto turned around again, only to see a foot come straight towards his face.

'Shit!'

But thankfully, Fuu saved Naruto from a broken nose by pulling the blond back at the last second, and grabbed Gaara's extended leg, slamming him to the ground. Rather than dishing damage to the redhead as she'd hoped, the sand nin burst into sand upon impact, dirtying the air surrounding the girl.

"Damn it, a clone!" Fuu swore, looking around for the real Gaara.

'She's fast!' Naruto thought, amazed at the speed the girl had displayed. Fuu had pulled him back and used that same momentum to push herself forward, grabbing Gaara's leg. The manoeuvre, while simplistic in theory, was quite hard to perform in real life, especially since Naruto was not a stationary object.

Naruto was shocked out of these thoughts when Gaara suddenly appeared before him. Delivering a kick to his chest, Gaara immediately turned his attention to Fuu who turned around, surprised.

"How did you-"

As Naruto went flying back, Gaara suddenly gestured with his hand, and the grains of sand around Fuu suddenly enveloped the girl, taking her by surprise again as she yelped, her exclamation cut off.

"Sabaku Kyuu!" Gaara said, calling out the name of his technique.

Meanwhile, one Naruto's Kage Bunshin saw Gaara's technique, remembering the similar hand gestures from when the redhead had squashed the Waterfall nin. In alarm, it dispelled itself, immediately sending the information to the real Naruto and the other remaining Kage Bunshin.

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed, tapping the seal attached to his pants leg as he was still flying back from Gaara's kick. Several more Kage Bunshin erupted around him, immediately charging after Gaara. He hit the ground and burst into smoke.

"Fuu!"

All of Naruto's Kage Bunshin closed in on Gaara, hoping to interrupt his fatal technique. Gaara eyed the coming enemy calmly.

"Stop or I'll kill your friend." Gaara said. All of the Naruto's immediately stopped at his threat, still wary and ready to charge at him if he went back on his word and attempted to kill her anyway, though one of them did release the technique, bursting away to give all the other Naruto's a piece of information.

Gaara eyed the resulting smoke for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

'He's the bigger threat, especially with that clone technique of his.' Gaara thought, 'If I kill his friend, he'll alert everyone.'

Though Gaara was confident in his ability of surviving any attempts on his life as he had done so numerous times in Sunagakure, he had also had the knowledge of how strong his would-be assassins were, because they had been Suna-nin. The whiskered blond was a foreign shinobi and seemingly quite skilled, if his ability to create that many solid clones was any indication; Gaara didn't want the blond creating a ruckus, lest it lead to an international incident between Suna and Konoha, who were currently allies.

He may have been quite strong for a genin, but he was still only a genin.

Gaara knew that Konoha was the stronger Hidden Village; Suna would likely not stand a chance, especially with legends such as Hatake Kakashi or Jiraiya of the Sannin still around.

"Release your technique." he said, addressing all of the Naruto's again. A few of the clones gritted their teeth, before releasing themselves one by one, until there were only two left. Gaara glared at them, narrowing his eyes.

"All of the clones." the dangerous genin ordered. One of the blonds nodded his head towards the other before dispersing, leaving only the one Naruto behind.

"I did what you wanted." Naruto said, eyeing the redhead shinobi, "Now let her go."

Gaara stared at the blond for a moment, but he did as Naruto asked. Fuu fell to the ground, shaking from her close encounter with death. Looking at Gaara with wide-eyes, the girl quickly scampered away to where Naruto stood.

"Thanks for saving me," Fuu said, shuddering slightly, "I thought I was a goner."

'No... it's better that I kill the blond first, then I'll finish off the girl quickly.' Gaara thought, inconspicuously surrounding the two with his sand. With the blond out of the picture, as long as he could quickly end the girl's life, nobody could legitimately accuse him of killing an allied nin.

There was nobody else around, thankfully. Two deaths would easily get lost in the confusion.

"Naruto." Fuu spoke up, eyeing Gaara with scrunched eyebrows, "Be really careful... he's... different."

"Yeah." Naruto replied, "His sand technique is really dangerous."

Fuu shook her head.

"No! I mean... he's like me." she said, catching the attention of both Gaara and Naruto, "He... I think he has a demon sealed inside him!"

"What?" Naruto said in shock, turning towards her in disbelief. Gaara, ignoring his own shock at the revelation of meeting a fellow demon container, immediately chose this moment to attack the blond.

Gesturing with his hand, Gaara quickly formed the sand behind the blond into a large conic shape, and thrust it towards Naruto's unprotected back.

"Watch out!" Fuu suddenly screamed, reaching out to her friend of a single day, but she was too slow to make any difference.

"Wha-" was all Naruto could get out before Gaara's sharpened spear of sand pierced him from the back and burst out of his chest, shocking the blond at the suddenness of the fatal attack.

"NARUTO!" Fuu shrieked, her voice echoing across the broken village.

* * *

"Hikari. Akane. Stay back." Aoi commanded, eyeing the smoking crater closely, "The enemy might be too strong for you two."

Hikari grabbed Akane, pulling her back with her in case the girl decided to protest against Aoi's command. This was the first real battle situation that they had encountered and Hikari was not about to let it go awry.

"Akane, prepare yourself." Hikari said to the girl, reaching up and snagging her new weapons, the bells that Naruto and gifted her, ready to assist and defend when possible. Akane looked at Hikari wide-eyed, and Hikari realized that there hadn't been any need to hold the Uchiha girl back.

"Akane!" Hikari said, forcefully jostling her, snapping the dark-haired girl out of her shock, "Weapons out!"

"I-" Akane stuttered, before recovering, "Yeah."

The girl reached into her kunai pouch and pulled out her weapons of choice, which, incidentally, had been bequeathed upon her by her blond teammate as well.

In each hand, Akane held what she called the 'Fire Spin', which were simply put, yo-yo's. The string itself was made of a flame retardant, chakra absorbent material, preventing Akane from burning it, but allowing her to still send chakra through it to the metal yo-yo at the bottom. The yo-yo had several small holes around its diameter, which, when saturated with fire-based chakra, would release a multitude of flames, encasing the yo-yo with Akane's deadly flames.

In effect, the yo-yo's would become heavy, metal, spinning cylinders of fire.

In her left hand, Akane also held three small, unimposing balls between her fingers. These balls were equipped with seals that allowed them to be highly elastic as well as flame-absorbent. Dropped from a meter high, they would bounce back to almost the same height, retaining, as Naruto had said, about 95% of their kinetic energy. They were hard to control, hard to stop, and hard to avoid, especially when they were on fire, but the entire team had undergone special training to fight in sync with them.

In essence, what Akane called the 'Fire Balls' were one of the team's most dangerous weapons on the field.

A lone man walked out of the crater, looking around with a devious smirk on his face. Aoi's eyes widened as she caught sight of him.

"T-Taizou!"

Taizou looked at Aoi upon mention of his name, raising his eyebrow.

"Hoh?" he said, eyeing the jounin up and down, "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

'It can't be!' Aoi thought, squinting her eyes, 'Out of all the places for him to be... why is he here?'

Taizou was someone that Aoi had often seen in her nightmares. A jounin from Iwa, Taizou had been part of a group of nin that had attacked Aoi and her team when she had still been a genin. He carried with him an enormous amount of skill, an absolute monster to face in battle.

This man had been one of those responsible for the deaths of her entire team.

"Wait a minute..." Taizou chuckled, "You're... from that time!"

_"Run, Aoi!"_

_ "Kuro-sensei!"_

_ "Why? Tetsu!"_

As a barrage of unpleasant memories assaulted her, Aoi grit her teeth, glaring at the man.

"Hehehe, what are the odds of us meeting like this?" Taizou said, grinning at the glaring Hyuuga jounin, Hikari and Akane looking on in confusion, "You've grown up, girl."

"How are you-"

"Alive?" Taizou finished for her, "I was very close to dying, in fact. That Yellow Flash was one dangerous ninja, I'll tell you that."

"But he did a sloppy job of finishing me off, especially with that teammate of yours around." Taizou told the girl. Aoi felt anger swell in her chest, feeling an overbearing urge to harm and humiliate this man, to make him beg for forgiveness but never give it to him.

"_Don't you dare..._" Aoi whispered, her voice low and menacing, "Don't you dare mention him."

"You still can't accept the fact that your teammate betr-"

"Shut up!" Aoi cut him off, angrily, "Tetsu would never-"

"Whether he really did or didn't isn't something you can ask him. Unfortunately, Tetsuya-kun is no longer around." Taizou mentioned offhandedly. Aoi narrowed her eyes.

"I told you this before, girl, and I'll tell you this again. You may be a shinobi, but you're also human. Humans are weak and fragile creatures, easily taken by fear. When push comes to shove, they'll prioritize their own lives above all others." Taizou told her, "Tetsuya was the same. When the time came, he chose to save his own life rather than waste it protecting others."

"It isn't weak to fight for others, even at the cost of your own life!" Aoi replied passionately, "Shinobi exist to fight for others, to protect them!"

Taizou shook his head exasperatedly.

"Shinobi were born out of weakness; they exist to protect themselves. A shinobi prioritizes his life above all others." Taizou told her once more, as if he were stating fact, "It seems that you still haven't learned."

Aoi shook her head.

"Why are you here, Taizou?" Aoi asked, no longer wanting to hear the man's philosophies, "What's your goal?"

Taizou raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you assume that I'll just so willingly give away such information so easily?" he asked, shaking his head, "I wouldn't be much of a ninja if I gave away information to anyone who asked."

Then he shrugged.

"But, it's not like I really care if you know or not." he added, "I was sent here to destroy all the scrolls that were gathered from the different villages. By whom or for what reason, I don't know."

"If you don't even know who you're working for, then why are you here?" Aoi asked.

"Money." Taizou answered simply, shrugging his shoulders, "I've already received ten percent of it, and ninety percent on completion of the mission."

"You-"

"Sensei." Hikari intervened, catching Aoi's attention. It was then that Aoi was reminded of her position; this man was likely stronger than even her, and she still had her two genin students around.

"Hoh? Sensei?" Taizou questioned, grinning, the scars on his face twisting as he eyed Hikari and Akane.

Aoi turned back to face the man, ready to protect her beloved students.

"This is interesting, girl. You've got students now, even after what happened to your team?" Taizou asked, but Aoi didn't appease him with an answer.

"Enough chit-chat!" Aoi said, her hair rising like cobras coiling back to strike, her Byakugan activating. Taizou raised an eye.

"Not even going to give me the opportunity to retreat?" he asked, "What if I said that I don't want to fight?"

Aoi didn't care.

Much to Akane and Hikari's surprise, Aoi went dashing at the man despite his declaration of truce, her chakra-induced speed blindingly fast to the naked eye. Her hair reached him first, Jyuuken strikes aimed at his torso with high precision, ready to shut down some of his major organs. However, before Aoi could make contact, the man easily side-stepped her attack, taking off running towards the side and extracting a handful of shuriken, placing them in the air as if putting them on a shelf.

Aoi jumped back instantly, wary of his technique.

"What's wrong?" Taizou mocked, still leaving his weapons floating in the air as he spoke, "Where's that confidence you were just showing?"

"Hikari, Akane, stay back." Aoi instructed, "Don't interfere."

Neither of the girls disobeyed, but Hikari sent Akane a glance to let her know to be ready to move just in case. Akane seemingly understood what Hikari was trying to convey to her and assumed a defensive position.

She dashed at Taizou, still placing weapons in the air, and engaged him in another bout of taijutsu. Aoi jumped at him feet-first, sliding across the ground, kicking up dust behind her. Taizou easily jumped over her blatant attack, but anticipating it, Aoi's braids pushed her body upright and off the ground, allowing her to meet him in a mid-air collision. However, before Aoi could strike him with her Jyuuken, Taizou used a replacement technique and came up underneath the woman, throwing a kunai straight up.

One of Aoi's braids grabbed on to the weapon around its grip and flung it back at Taizou, where he dodged instantly, running to the left and throwing a handful of shuriken. The kunai bounced off the ground and back into the air, stopping mid-air and floating like the rest of his weapons.

Aoi nimbly dodged the shuriken, noticing that they too stopped mid-flight, but didn't pay them any mind. Her braids grabbed on to a few floating kunai, arming themselves as Aoi dashed once again at the man. Taizou reached into his back pocket and withdrew two small, smoke-bombs, throwing them at the ground between them.

Much to Aoi's surprise, the two smoke-bombs let out a flash of chakra, temporarily blinding her, and that moment was all Taizou needed, as he went on the offensive immediately. Jumping at her with a kunai in hand, Aoi could only watch as Taizou aimed to stab her, unprepared for the unexpected move.

"Argh!"

The man was suddenly struck by two small flaming objects, and he rolled away, clutching his burning sides in pain as the two balls bounced high off the ground before suddenly going straight after him again. Taizou just barely leapt out of the way, still in pain from the sudden attack. Aoi looked over to where her two students stood, attacking the man from a distance. Akane had thrown her 'Fire Balls' and Hikari, using the bells that Naruto had recently given her, hit the flaming balls with its whip-like capabilities, rocketing them towards Taizou, who was barely dodging.

Taking the chance that her genin had granted her, Aoi swiftly pulled out a scroll, yet another gift from Naruto, and unsealed the contents from within, several small magnetized metal balls, each of which weighed a significant amount. Charging some of her chakra into them, Aoi threw them in several directions, letting them sink into the ground where they touched.

"Hikari, Akane, give me space!" Aoi called out to her two genin. Hikari's whips immediately circled around the small balls, wrapping around them with extraordinary skill and, with a yank, sending them sailing back to Akane in a less frenzied manner. The Uchiha girl easily caught them, putting out the flames as soon as she did.

Aoi's hands fluidly moved through practiced hand-seals, her lightning nature slowly building up for her next attack. Taizou grit his teeth and stood up slowly, still clutching his side from the damage that the Akane and Hikari's attack had done him. They had only managed to hit him that first time, but their wave of attacks had been relentless. It was an impressive feat for genin to accomplish, to say the least.

Aoi's hands suddenly snapped together, forming hand-seals rapidly, and Taizou responded by continuing his own technique, placing more shuriken and kunai in the air, leaving them floating in place.

As Aoi continued her hand-seals, electricity began crackling in her hair, each braid straightening out to their full length. Her eyes zoned in on Taizou, watching as he suddenly stopped his technique, seemingly out of weapons.

Taizou's hands snapped together, palms clapping together and fingers intertwining, and with her Byakugan, Aoi watched his chakra reach out and connect to each of the eerily floating weapons that he had put up.

"You shouldn't have given me time to finish this technique, girl." Taizou said unsmilingly, "I'm disappointed."

Aoi raised an eyebrow.

"I could say the same to you." she said, "You're not as smart as I thought you were."

She was deliberately trying to get a rise out of him, but Taizou remained impassive, cold and calculating anger seeping through him as he eyed his opponents. He glanced at the two genin behind Aoi, still holding onto their weapons to interfere at any moment.

'This will be more effort than it's worth with those two supporting from the sidelines.' Taizou couldn't help but think, 'I hate to admit it, but they're good.'

"Girl." Taizou said, speaking up, "If we continue this battle, it'll be to the death."

Aoi didn't reply, electricity still crackling through her hair as she just waited for him to make the first move.

"If I kill you here, I'm going to kill your students as well." Taizou told her. Aoi didn't rise to the bait.

"You won't be able to kill me." she told him.

"We can both walk away." Taizou said, surprising her, "I don't know which of us will win, but one of us will surely die. If we walk away now, we can avoid that."

"You're chickening out?" Aoi asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. Hikari and Akane watched on in slight worry, unsure of what the man was aiming for.

"It's self-preservation." Taizou responded smoothly, unfazed at Aoi's insulting manner, "I'd rather not take the risk, knowing that my death is a possible outcome."

Aoi eyed him for a moment, thinking back to when she first met him.

_"Don't throw away your life, boy." the scarred man said, "You have exceptional skill, but you have no hope of winning."_

_ "Shut up! I... I won't betray my teammates." the dark-haired genin replied, glaring at the man in defiance. Taizou looked at him in pity._

_ "Let me give you a life lesson, kid. A ninja fights for himself. To a ninja, self-preservation is the only honor." Taizou said, "You have a choice, and you know the outcomes. Protect your teammate and certain death awaits you, but join me and you'll save yourself."_

_ "Don't listen to him, Tetsu!" Aoi shouted, clutching her busted kneecap, "A ninja fights for others!"_

_ "She just wants you to save her!" Taizou growled, "She's trying to survive at the cost of your life!"_

_ Tetsu glared at Taizou, but couldn't help but glance at Aoi in uncertainty, shocking her._

_ "Tetsu!" Aoi exclaimed, disbelief evident in her voice, "He... he killed Sensei! Don't listen to him!"_

_ "Tetsu!" Taizou immediately responded, latching on to the boy's name, "The point of war is to kill the enemy! I may have killed your sensei, but he would have killed me if I hadn't!"_

_ "Tet-"_

_ "I had to fight to keep my life! It's in a ninja's nature to save themselves! Fight for yourself, Tetsu!" Taizou said, cutting Aoi off. He could have easily killed both genin, but he didn't want to just kill them. He wanted to show them the truth of this world, to win them over! He would ensnare them into his way of life, his way of thinking, the reason why he fought as a ninja!_

_"There's no cowardice in being afraid for your life!" Taizou told him passionately, "There's no cowardice in protecting yourself!"_

_ Tetsu looked at the man with wide eyes, before shakily looking over at Aoi. When Aoi saw his eyes, she knew that Taizou had defeated him, but yet, she was unwilling to believe it._

_ "You... you won't kill us?" Tetsu said, "If..."_

_ "Tetsuya!" Aoi shouted his name, tears flowing down her cheeks, "What... what are you doing?"_

_ "Come over here, Tetsuya." Taizou said, "You're going to survive, and you're going to grow strong."_

_ With another glance at Aoi, Tetsuya walked over the waiting man, completing his betrayal._

_ "Why? Tetsu!"_

_ There was a suddenly a flash of yellow, and Taizou fell to the ground before Tetsuya could even reach him, defeated in an instant. Before him, standing magnificently with flowing golden locks and a swirling cape, was the great Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato._

_ "Yondaime-sama!" Aoi gasped, relief filling her voice. Minato walked over to her, scooping her up in his arms, carrying her like he would a bride. He eyed Tetsu coldly, looking him over and finding him lacking. Tetsuya was still shaking._

_ "You'll likely be executed once we return to the village." Minato told the boy, his voice practically made of stone, "This sort of thing happens often, especially with genin. It's normally understandable, but... turning traitor, especially just after the war is over, is unacceptable. The Hyuuga would never allow you to live."_

_"Yondaime-sama." Aoi whispered, tears still leaking from her eyes, "Please..."_

_ Minato eyed the girl in his arms for a moment, considering her unspoken request._

_ "Run." the Yondaime Hokage told the terrified genin, "Run, and never come across us again. Live your life with the shame of betraying your village, live in constant fear for your life."_

_ Tetsuya looked at him and Aoi, tears in his own eyes as well._

_ "Run!" Minato barked. Tetsuya took off, obeying the last command that his Hokage would ever give him. Aoi watched him go, leaving her with the vestiges of a broken team. _

_She cried all the way back to Konoha, and never cried again. Not when the clan sealed her, not when the Yondaime died. Not ever._

"No."

If Taizou was surprised by Aoi's reply, he didn't show it.

"I'm going to kill you here, Taizou." Aoi told him, regarding the man with an icy expression. It was no longer about philosophies of self-preservation or protecting others. It was revenge, plain and simple.

Taizou moved first. He charged right at her, the weapons that he had left floating in the air eerily swerving to point at her. Aoi watched his charge, pointing her fingers straight at him with her hands clamped together in a ram seal, and she began her technique.

"Raikou!"

A large burst of lightning erupted from her hands charging straight at the man, who threw himself to the side to avoid the offending piece of chakra, just barely avoiding an electrifying death. Aoi separated her hands, spreading them out wide.

"Separate!"

The burst of lightning suddenly divided, going off in countless directions, interweaving into a web of bright blue light. Crackling as it magically moved through the air, the lightning kept branching off into a counting number of lines, all rapidly zig-zagging through the air and making their way towards their target, Taizou.

Raikou had been one of Aoi's strongest techniques, very similar to Kakashi's Chidori, but instead of being able to cut, its power was been that of electrocution. It had always been a single shot, a small burst of Aoi's lightning-nature chakra meant to strike the enemy through just once. Naruto had changed that.

With the magnetized balls that Naruto had made for her, Aoi found that she had much more control over the jutsu than she had originally thought. Using the magnetic field that the balls created, Aoi could change the direction and branch off the threads of lightning in whichever way she wanted, allowing the jutsu to be versatile as long as it was contained within the magnetic field of the balls. And because of the jumpy and piercing nature of electricity, it was very hard to avoid being shocked.

Instead of striking with a single hit-or-miss shot, Aoi created an array of attacks to slowly electrocute her enemies into oblivion.

Taizou eyed both Aoi and her shocks of electricity jumping at him, almost as if it were in slow motion. And suddenly, his jutsu activated.

A hail of kunai spun around the man, causing Aoi to jump out of the way lest she get cut. The electricity was attracted to the metal kunai and shuriken, jumping between several of the weapons, successfully redirected from their target.

"Shit!" Aoi swore, her body moving immediately.

A storm of kunai spun around the man, firing off at Aoi, homing in on her with a personal vendetta, wanting nothing more than to cut. Aoi focused her Byakugan as much as she could, keeping track of each and every individual weapon flying at her, dodging furiously.

Every slightest bit of movement was important, each tilt of the head, movement of an arm or a leg. Every twist of the body, even the smallest of movements that Aoi made played their part in dodging a weapon in the fury that Taizou had unleashed on her. Hikari allowed her only a slight reprieve. Using her bells, Hikari was wrapping the wire around kunai and displacing them from the line of attack, throwing them out of range of Taizou's chakra, rendering them useless.

Akane also cautiously approached the hail of kunai and shuriken, knocking a few away with her flaming yoyo's, but the bombardment was so furious that she couldn't get any closer, leaving her with a limited capacity.

However, even through the barrage that Taizou was keeping up, Aoi was not without attack. Even in the slightest moment she had when she wasn't attacked, she shrewdly had her lightning jump from kunai to kunai, slowly approaching Taizou unsuspectingly.

And when the moment was ripe, she struck.

"Issen Seppun!"

Using her trademark technique, Aoi attacked the kunai, destroying the chakra in them, causing many to fall to the ground, their connection to Taizou's chakra cut off from Aoi's Jyuuken strikes. Taizou blinked in surprise as many of his kunai suddenly fell out of his control, not expecting Aoi to suddenly retaliate. As he tried to counter however, Aoi's lightning suddenly jumped out at him, shocking him to a standstill.

That moment was all Aoi needed.

Rushing forward, Aoi ran at him as fast as her shaky legs could carry her, Taizou temporarily paralyzed and unable to do anything but watch.

'Shit!' Taizou swore internally.

Aoi approached him, carrying certain death in her fingertips, ready to strike and take their long-awaited revenge. And then, only three steps away from him, a kunai rose from the ground and slashed her leg, causing her to trip forward and fall to the hardened dirt.

Taizou looked down at her for a moment, his paralysis making his movements sluggish. Grabbing a nearby floating kunai, he decided he wasn't going to say anything and just kill her and be done with it. He eyed her with a hard expression, ready to kill.

Aoi watched in horror as he grabbed the kunai, as he brought it up and aimed the tip at her, as he brought it down, as a kunai suddenly erupted from out of his forehead.

Taizou fell to the ground, instantly dead, his still-floating weapons falling to the ground with him. He still had the same hard look in his face, his eyebrows still crinkled and rough lines marring his forehead and his lips still pursed. He probably hadn't even known that he died.

Behind him stood a redhead, smirking nastily at the easy kill.

She wasn't exactly tall, probably just around Naruto's height, standing with a petite frame of slightly toned muscles. Her hair, a vivid red, was covered with a purple cap, long strands falling out around her ears and onto her pretty face. Her dark eyes glittered with the slightest amount of malice, and she eyed the fallen man's body with an amused look.

"Fucking shit that was easy." the girl remarked.

Aoi could only look at her, surprised at the sudden, almost unbelievable change of events that she had just brought about. Slowly standing up, the girl noticed Aoi's stare, as well as the two girls running over, calling out for their sensei.

"The fuck are you looking at?" she asked, her tone not softening at all when speaking to the older woman.

"You killed him." Aoi said, speaking as if she was stating fact. As a matter of fact, she was.

"Yeah, and it was fucking easy too." the girl replied, cackling, "You did all that fucking work for nothing. How do you feel that some bitch just snuck up and took out the fucktard you've been trying to kill for so long?"

"Sensei!"

Hikari and Akane ran up, eyeing the redhead warily as they approached their sensei.

"It's okay." Aoi reassured them, not even waiting for them to speak, "He's dead."

"Fuck yeah he's dead! He wouldn't be deader if a fucking crocodile bit off his head!" the redhead spoke up, causing Hikari and Akane to look at her, startled by her sudden tirade.

"Anyway, I'm out of this shithole." the girl said, turning to leave, "There are more fuckers to kill since this weakling village can't even take out the trash by itself."

"Wait!" Aoi called, still feeling dazed that the battle had ended so anti-climatically, "If you're fighting the invaders, then we're probably going to go to the same place."

The redheaded girl regarded the taller Hyuuga for a moment.

"I was watching your battle." she admitted, putting a hand on her shoulder and cracking her neck, "It was fucking epic, and your jutsu was ingenious."

"Ingenious?" Akane questioned, regarding the redhead with a guarded expression. Beside her, Hikari was in a similar state, her eyes slightly narrowed as she thought of how easily the girl had killed that man and even laughed about it afterwards.

"Its cause of that guy's weird-ass weapon technique." the strange redhead answered, smirking at Aoi tauntingly for having figured out her strategy, "Because he was using metal weapons, she used her lightning technique so that it could jump from weapon to weapon and get him, even if she couldn't get close without having her guts spilt out onto the floor by getting gutted by some errant kunai."

Aoi didn't react to her taunting manner, much to the girl's disappointment.

"Aww, fuck you." she said, pouting, "Alright, fine. Since you're pretty fucking strong, we can fight against the same people at the same time."

Aoi, strangely quiet, couldn't help but feel amused at the girl's reluctance with saying that she would temporarily join forces with them.

"Sensei." Hikari said, speaking up in front of the foreign kunoichi for the first time, "Naruto..."

Aoi's mind snapped into place. Her student was still out there, possibly fighting for his life and she was just standing around, still bewildered at the sudden outcome of her own fight.

"Let's go." Aoi said to her two genin, before inclining her head towards the redhead, "If you're going to come, then come."

The three members of Team Nine all took off running, hoping to get to their remaining teammate as quickly as possible. The girl eyed them for a moment, before shrugging.

"Ah, whatever. Might as well." she said, before running after them, matching their pace.

Aoi acknowledged her presence as the girl pulled up beside her, but her thoughts were strictly on getting to her blond-haired student. She knew that the reality of Taizou's death was niggling somewhere in the back of her head, but there were more important things to worry about.

Hikari and Akane had their priorities straight; it would be untoward for a sensei to fall behind her students.

'Wait for us, Naruto!'

* * *

Fuu watched with wide eyes, seeing the spear of sand pierce through her newfound friend's chest. It must have entered right between the shoulder-blades in his back, tearing through cartilage and lung, ripping apart his flesh and muscles. A part of it had to have punctured his heart on its way out of his chest, surely opening death's door.

Fuu saw his reaction almost avidly. His mouth opened ever so slightly, eyes widening in shock as he felt the acerbic feeling of his back and front splitting open, the feeblest of sounds escaping his mouth.

She screamed his name, her own voice inaudible to her. She watched as his chest rose with the spear, shifting forward just the slightest bit with the jarring force of the redheaded boy's fatal attack, she saw him look at Gaara in shock, and she watched him burst into smoke.

Naruto erupted from the ground in front of Gaara, striking him with an uppercut, snapping the boy's head upwards. The whiskered blond managed to thump Gaara in the chest with his palm before Gaara finally got a hold of what was happening, and threw Naruto away with his sand.

The blond went flying back and this time, it was Fuu that caught him.

"Naruto!" she said, holding onto him tightly, "I- I thought you died!"

"It was a Kage Bunshin." Naruto told her, trying to calm her down, "I'm not so easy to defeat."

"But... _when?_"

"Right at the beginning, when you ran right at him without thinking." Naruto told her in a chiding tone, much to her embarrassment, "I went under the ground, and this whole time, he's only ever been fighting my Kage Bunshin."

It was then that he realized that Fuu still hadn't released her hug.

"Hey..." Naruto said, blushing, "Do you mind letting go now?"

Fuu looked at him for a moment, before her mind caught up with her. She released him immediately.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in realization, an embarrassed blush adorning her face as well, "Sorry."

Naruto heard Gaara move behind them.

"Hey," he whispered to Fuu, "Get the kunai into his sand."

"What?"

Their exchange was abruptly interrupted when tendrils of sand shot straight at them.

Naruto and Fuu swiftly jumped apart and charged immediately, running in opposite directions, both converging in on the attacking Suna-nin.

Gaara's gaze shifted from one to the other, before he spread his hands apart, splitting his sand into two, attacking both of his assailants at the same time.

As the sand came straight at him, Naruto hands snapped together, going through hand-seals as quick as he was able. Using his Seal Princess Technique, Naruto layered his chakra with the Shadow Clone technique, allowing it through with continuous short bursts, creating a Kage Bunshin with each surge of energy. Letting his clones take the brunt of the damage from the sand, Naruto ran straight at Gaara, throwing a kunai at him.

Meanwhile, not having a clone technique to take the damage, Fuu opted to run straight at the attacking sand, before she started spinning wildly right before impact.

"Tatsumaki Fuu!" she yelled out, her technique of her own name kicking up dust all around her as her rapid spinning released winds strong enough to knock away Gaara's sand. Gaara looked her in surprise, as the girl continued to spin even after Gaara's sand had dispersed. It was then that Gaara noticed her technique was starting to pull, as he noticed the slight forward momentum on his body.

And then, Fuu charged.

Gaara eyed the storm of dust heading straight for him with slight apprehension. His sand would be useless against this technique, getting sucked up in the rapidly spinning winds. Then, with a start, he noticed Fuu jump out of her technique straight at him, catching him unawares. But her leap had missed him, having jumped slightly off target.

'She missed.'

Gaara backed away from the girl, feeling relief settle on his shoulders when her attack missed. Even with his ultimate defence, her momentum might have actually allowed her to hit him. But unknown to Gaara, hitting him wasn't her aim. As Gaara moved aside, Naruto's kunai shot straight toward the girl who grabbed it and, still using the momentum from her rapid spin, tossed it at the redhead with great velocity.

'What?'

Surprised, Gaara could only watch as the kunai struck his sand, almost making it through. It was then that the kunai started glowing, a strange pattern visible on it. Gaara eyed the seal as it suddenly dissolved into his sand without any other effects. Gaara was too late to stop it, but he tossed the kunai away as quickly as he could.

"It's over." Naruto told the Sand nin, his hands in a Tiger seal, ready to release his technique. Gaara eyed the blond silently.

"It's over?" he questioned, "Do you mean to say that you've won?"

"We have." Naruto answered, and activated his technique.

Gaara immediately felt weird, as if he had just been doused in cold water. His insides tingled, sending shivers down his spine. Looking at his sand, Gaara could see that it was now wet.

"My sand... what did you do?" Gaara asked, watching as it fell to the ground in clumps. Naruto eyed him momentarily before replying.

"When I hit you in the chest, I carved a seal into your chakra system. A multiple water-conversion seal." Naruto told him, "Any chakra you produce will have properties like those of someone with a water-affinity."

"So when I control my sand..." Gaara continued. Naruto nodded.

"It would behave as if it were wet." Naruto told him. Gaara eyed the blond for a moment, looking slightly impressed.

"And the kunai?"

"The same seal to make the sand physically wet." Naruto said, "With wet sand, your effectiveness is cut in less than half, and I have many more tricks up my sleeve."

"Why are you attacking my village?" Fuu asked, jumping straight to the point, "What's your goal?"

"I am not the attacker." Gaara said, "I was attacked by a man wearing the Waterfall symbol on his forehead protector. He was an imposter, one of the invaders, so I killed him."

Both of the genin eyed Gaara in surprise. They had been fighting someone with whom they should have been fighting alongside. Because he had killed someone wearing the Takigakure symbol, they had attacked him, thinking he was the enemy. In turn, because they had attacked him, Gaara thought that they were the enemies.

Their entire fight had been based on a misunderstanding.

"Then... we aren't enemies." Naruto said, "We have no reason to be fighting."

Gaara regarded the pair for a moment, but eventually recalled his drenched sand, allowing it back into his gourd. Naruto let out a sigh in relief.

Gaara eyed the two of them in confusion.

"What is your name?" he suddenly spoke up, looking at Fuu. She eyed him for a moment before hesitantly responding.

"Fuu."

"You mentioned that you were a demon-container." Gaara said, practically ignoring the blond, "Which demon do you hold?"

"The seven-tail horned beetle." Fuu responded, speaking in clipped tones. Naruto felt odd as he watched the two converse, not knowing where this conversation was headed.

Gaara eyed her silently for a moment, considering her words.

"How did you know that I was a demon container?" Gaara asked, still speaking stonily. Fuu eyed the boy warily, thinking of a response to his question.

"I... I'm not sure." she told him, "When you had me in your sand... I just knew."

Gaara fell silent at her response, thinking things through. Meanwhile, Naruto's mind was racing.

'How can demons be sealed?' he couldn't help but think, 'To make a seal for containing a living being as complex as a _human_, let alone a demon, would take decades.'

It was possible that the idea of sealing a demon within a human body had been around for decades, worked on continuously by generations after generations. It was also possible that the chakra of demons had more to do with their physical makeup than he had thought.

"That's interesting to know." Gaara suddenly said, breaking the silence. Both Naruto and Fuu looked surprised to see that he was smiling at them.

"You... what?" Fuu asked, confused.

"It seems that the strength of the container isn't proportional to the strength of the demon, or else you would be seven times as strong as I am." Gaara told her, explaining the conclusion he had come to.

'He has the one-tailed demon.' Naruto's mind quickly filled in, 'Whatever that is.'

"What do you mean?" Fuu asked, unsure of what angle the redhead was aiming for.

"Your blond friend over there seems to be much stronger than you are, even though you are the container of the seven-tailed bijuu." Gaara explained, and Naruto's mind suddenly clicked into place. Fuu narrowed her eyes, but it was Naruto that responded.

"The number of tails the demon has doesn't mean anything to the container except for the fact that they have more chakra." Naruto said, addressing the redheaded Sand genin, "So you don't know whether someone is stronger than you or not."

Gaara raised an eyebrow at the blond.

"Demons with more tails have more potential, and so should their containers." Gaara stated, "I still wish to test my capabilities against you in battle. I wish to know whether a lesser-tailed beast can overcome one with more."

"If that's the case, then you have no chance of winning by your own philosophy." Naruto replied, thinking quickly. It was currently still a war situation, and they didn't have the luxury of fighting someone who was supposed to be on their side. Fortunately for him, he knew exactly what to say.

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm the container of the nine-tailed demon fox."

* * *

Chapter 08 – The Rising Water – Terminating

* * *

**Author's Note:**

It feels like only yesterday that I updated. *Ducks for cover*

Sorry about the wait. I was out of the country right after I last updated, and when I got back, I started working full-time, so I barely had any time to write. Not to mention the entire rewrite for this story that I was working on. Also, I'm also working on, let's see... one, two, three, four, FIVE new stories, and a few one-shots here and there as well. My muse just wouldn't leave me alone. And then there's 'What's New, Naruto?' as well. Anyway, I'm sure that I've lost a large portion of my readers due to the long waiting time, but for whatever its worth, here's the chapter.

Now, this was a pretty long chapter, and I know that if you took the time to get this far, then you can take the time to review! So let me know what you think! As for the change in the title, considering that there's been a rewrite of the story, I felt that it was necessary. 'Furuenjin' was my probably-incorrect way of saying Full Circle in Japanese, so 'Come Full Circle' isn't so radically different. I hope it's appreciated.

Anyway, onto other matters, Hikari and Akane didn't get much action this chapter, but it was important that Aoi face her past without much interference. The Waterfall mission will (hopefully) be coming to a conclusion in the next chapter, so you have that to look forward to.

Now, I don't often do this, but I'm going to rec a story here. '**Onesimus Shrugged: GOSPEL**' by **Zeitgeist84**, a Naruto fic that is radically different than canon, yet is so well done. Only one chapter in and I'm already drawn into the story. Zeitgeist has really outdone himself. I'd recommend that everybody check it out. And people. **LEAVE HIM A REVIEW!** I don't want such an excellent fic to go to waste because nobody is bothering to review.

Anyway, it's time to end this note.

Hope you had some fun, and don't forget to review!

knuckz


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